
The Best Traditional Culture Show in Saigon
The Golden Lotus Theater hosts the most enjoyable traditional dance and music show in Saigon. This is a fun show with all the elaborate costumes, vibrant dances, and soulful music you’d expect and few things you wouldn’t. Like a 1000 year old water puppet show that ends with fireworks.
This culture show has good variety and great pacing. There are actually 6 distinct performances during the show. Each represents a different region and/or ethnicity of Vietnam and it’s long history. We’ve seen performances of ancient culture that drag on and get boring. Not this show. 5 of the 6 performances last only 5 minutes each. And the water puppet finale lasts less than 30 minutes. Before you know it, it’s over and you’re left wanting more. That’s a great show in our book.
We love this show. Here’s a preview to tempt you:
Hat Boi
The first performance is a 700 year-old Vietnamese opera called Hat Boi. The four kings represent the natural forces of thunder, lightning, rain, and wind. The music is fast paced and the kings spend most of the time engaged in epic duels. In the end, they all reconcile, representing harmony in nature.
Birth of the Baby Dragon
- Frisky Dragons
- Dragon Family
This is the most dynamic and entertaining dance. The story behind the dance is the mythological birth of a baby dragon, who brought victory to a Vietnamese emperor. The dance has elements of well-known dragon dances with one exception. The dragons get frisky and the lady dragon gives birth to a cute baby dragon, on stage.
The accompanying music is Vietnam’s most famous traditional music, Nha Nhac. This music is 500 years old and is recognized by Unesco as a cultural heritage.
Hat Chau Van
This beautiful 400 year-old fan dance has some spooky moments. It’s represents the folk art tradition of northern Vietnam and some of its old mysticism. The main character in green is like a medium or shaman. The purpose of the dance and accompanying music is to put the “shaman” in a trance so he can communicate with the gods. His movements and sadistic smiles get a bit creepy. The music has some heavy rhythmic percussion and some twangy spine-tingling highs. There’s even some well synchronized screaming. Yikes.
Dan Da – 2000 year-old Stone Instrument
This is a purely musical performance of an amazing instrument. A Dan Da is basically a xylophone made of stone. This type of instrument is called a lithophone and is a traditional instrument in many parts of the world. One of the oldest was discovered in central Vietnam. It was more than 2000 years old. The natural and melodic sounds produced by striking these stones are astounding. This is clearly the world’s oldest “rock” music.
Lotus Lantern Dance

Kaleidoscope of Lotus Lanterns
Called Luc Cung Hoa Dang in Vietnamese, this dance is 500 years old. The lotus is now the national flower of Vietnam and has been an important symbol for untold centuries. The Lotus Lantern Dance emphasizes the coolest aspect of lotus symbolism, how something beautiful can come from a muddy swamp.
There are about 2 dozen dancers, and each holds 2 lotus-shaped lanterns. They make simple movements with the lanterns, but the movements are well coordinated and form beautiful patterns. It reminds you of big living kaleidoscope.
Water Puppet Show
- Traditional Vietnamese Farmers and Water Buffalos
- Creatures from Vietnamese Mythology
Water puppetry is the best-known and most distinctive Vietnamese art tradition. Created in northern Vietnam in the 11th century, this cultural legacy is nearly 1000 years old. Long before theaters, the ancient water puppet shows were performed right on the banks of the Red river.
The water puppet show is charming in it ancient playfulness. Pratt falls and physical humor are the dominant elements of the puppet show. The scenes alternate between ones with mythological creatures and ones with idyllic depictions of traditional Vietnamese farm life. Inevitably, both scenes devolve into wrestling, swimming, chasing, and generally splashing around as much possible.
There’s some dialog, and it’s all in Vietnamese. It’s impossible to follow, but that’s not a problem. The puppet show is an overtly physical performance. A nice little fireworks display on the water is the big finish.

Water Puppet Show Fireworks
Bottom Line
The Golden Lotus Theater is the best cultural variety show in Saigon. For most visitors, this show will be all the traditional dance and music they need. For others, this show will be an invitation to see full performances of their favorite styles. This show displays a great variety of traditional arts in a very entertaining way. At 5 minutes per performance, the show offers only samples of Vietnamese culture, but those samples are authentic, beautiful, and fun. This combination makes it the best in town for some traditional Vietnamese song and dance.
Travel & Planning Info
Location:
The Golden Lotus Theater is located in the famous Rex Hotel Saigon. The Rex Hotel is located in the heart of the tourist district. It is right on Saigon’s famous pedestrian street, Nguyen Hue Blvd. If you do any typical sightseeing in Saigon, you’ll be steps from Rex Hotel many times. Why not stop in for a show?
We found that stopping by in person or calling is the best way to contact the hotel about the show.
141 Nguyen Hue Blvd, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam
(+84 8)38292185
Price: 300,000VND ($15USD)
Considering that the show is in a prestigious 5 star hotel and targeted at tourists, tickets are really cheap. Tickets are available through different tour companies, but the best place to buy them is at the Rex Hotel. Many advertisements state that there are daily shows, but this schedule can vary. In low tourist season, there are often only 3 or 4 shows per week. Check with the Rex Hotel for the schedule during your visit.
At the time of our visit showtimes were as follows: Tuesdays – Thursdays – Saturdays – Sundays at 19:00
Feeling Indulgent in Saigon?

View from Hotel Rex Rooftop Pool
Hotel Rex Saigon is one of the top luxury hotels in the city. They have all the 5 star amenities, but the coolest features are 2 rooftop swimming pools with great views of downtown. There’s even a poolside bar. Retail prices are outrageous, but many online deals make this 5 star palace surprisingly affordable. We’ve found deals for less than $100 USD/night during low and shoulder seasons.
Check the latest rates on: Agoda | Booking.com
Read Reviews on: TripAdvisor
Abigail
Posted at 23:27h, 11 DecemberThese cultural shows are so much fun and entertaining! It is also an entertaining to learn about the way of life, culture and history of a country!
The Travel Ninjas
Posted at 23:30h, 11 DecemberHi Abigail. You’re absolutely right! We learned so much about the Vietnamese culture and history just from watching this show. 🙂
jessica
Posted at 05:14h, 12 DecemberWhat a great looking show. I love that you get to sample so many different art forms. We didn’t get to check out any when we were in Vietnam. That seems like a very reasonable price! What time did the show start?
The Travel Ninjas
Posted at 05:20h, 12 DecemberHi Jessica. Yes, it was awesome! The price was unbelievable especially for such a great show. It started at 7:00 PM.
Divya Mathur
Posted at 06:43h, 12 DecemberOne of the things I love to do while traveling abroad is to attend a show of some sort. (When my sister and I went to Turkey, we went and watched a “Whirling Dervishes” show. It tells you so much about the culture and the history of the country. I feel like it brought me in touch with the whole traveling abroad experience more than anything else! (Well, besides the food of course).
The Travel Ninjas
Posted at 06:47h, 12 DecemberHello Divya, We agree. Cultural performances can really put you in touch with a place. The Whirling Dervishes are amazing. We had plans to visit Turkey this year but had to cancel. We hope to see them next year.
Imaobong
Posted at 07:14h, 12 DecemberThe Golden Lotus Theatre — never heard of it before today but it looks very dynamic and creative and fun.
Cultural shows like this are always worth it!
The Travel Ninjas
Posted at 07:16h, 12 DecemberHello Imaobong. It was a dynamic show and definitely worth the visit.
Tara L
Posted at 07:53h, 12 DecemberIs this like a Indian show? If so I heard they are really nice and I would love to see one but probably have to travel far to go see one since I live in NJ. Not really sure, but the traditional looks great. Enjoy!
Amber Myers
Posted at 08:37h, 12 DecemberWow, this would be so neat to see! I love all the colors. I hope to be able to check something out like this one day.
The Travel Ninjas
Posted at 08:46h, 12 DecemberHello Amber. We hope you can see the show. Its lots of fun.
Maja | Mexatia
Posted at 13:49h, 12 DecemberThe show seems to be a must when in Saigon! The lotus lantern dance looks so beautiful. It’s a great way to explore local customs and art, my second favorite activity after discovering local food 🙂
The Travel Ninjas
Posted at 13:53h, 12 DecemberHello Maja. The lantern dance was gorgeous to see. We agree about food. It’s first in our book too. Luckily Vietnam has so much delicious food to explore.
Angela
Posted at 13:56h, 12 DecemberThis is so cool! I would love to see an authentic cultural show like this. Looks like you had a great time!
The Travel Ninjas
Posted at 14:00h, 12 DecemberHello Angela. Thanks we had a great time. Check out this show next time you’re in Saigon.
Noemi of Pinay Flying High
Posted at 15:49h, 12 DecemberI laughed out loud on the birth of baby dragon. How frisky was it? LOL. The lotus dance looks beautiful and it did remind me of a kaleidoscope based on the photo. I didn’t know it’s their national flower. 🙂
The Travel Ninjas
Posted at 15:51h, 12 DecemberHello Noemi. Haha, it was G rated, but still clearly frisky. We laughed out loud when we saw that baby dragon pop up too.
Briana Marie
Posted at 17:39h, 12 DecemberI love culture shows! Such a great opportunity to learn about different parts of the world. Lots of fun too!
The Travel Ninjas
Posted at 17:45h, 12 DecemberHello Briana Marie. We love culture shows too. This one is fun and we learned a lot.
Allison
Posted at 17:55h, 12 DecemberI am heading to Vietnam in May and planning to spend about two days in Saigon. This will definitely be going on my list of things to do. I can’t get over how cheap the tickets are!
Valerie
Posted at 18:19h, 12 DecemberYou have the most interesting travels. I would love to see Saigon. It looks incredibly cool.
The Travel Ninjas
Posted at 18:23h, 12 DecemberHello Valerie. Thank you. We live to travel. Hope you make it to Saigon one day. We think your kids would love it. And the interesting art and food of Vietnam would probably inspire you to invent even more great crafts and recipes.
Cliodhna Ryan
Posted at 18:24h, 12 DecemberFirstly, that baby dragon is so cute!!
Secondly, this looks like a great way to get an insight into 6 different local traditions. I would love to go to this show when I do get to Vietnam.
The Travel Ninjas
Posted at 18:27h, 12 DecemberHello Cliodhna. The baby dragon cracked us up. Have fun in Vietnam and we hope you can see the show.
Lynne Sarao
Posted at 19:23h, 12 DecemberOh so much fun! I went to this same show when I was in Saigon a few years back and you’re right – the costumes, the music and the show was just a fantastic way to get excited and learn about the local culture! I’ve never seen a “puppet” show on water like that before. So unique!
The Travel Ninjas
Posted at 19:29h, 12 DecemberHello Lynne. This show certainly taught a few things and inspired us to research more.
Beth
Posted at 20:59h, 12 DecemberThese are beautiful photographs. I love the culture and traditions!
The Travel Ninjas
Posted at 21:11h, 12 DecemberHello Beth. Thank you. Vietnam has such cool traditions to be sure.
kathy (from walkaboutwanderer.com)
Posted at 23:06h, 12 DecemberI remember seeing the water puppet show when I was in Vietnam. Such a lovely experience. I really recommend it.
The Travel Ninjas
Posted at 23:11h, 12 DecemberHello Kathy. Good to hear that you enjoyed the water puppets too.
blair villanueva
Posted at 04:59h, 13 DecemberThey are all very interesting performances. I would like to watch the petformance of The Birth of the Baby Dragon… looks cute 🙂
The Travel Ninjas
Posted at 05:05h, 13 DecemberHello Blair. The Baby Dragon was so cute and funny.
Amrita
Posted at 08:15h, 13 DecemberLoved your description of these cultural shows.It’s one of the mist entertaining way of learning about new cultures.
The Travel Ninjas
Posted at 08:20h, 13 DecemberHello Amrita. Thank you. We agree that these shows are an entertaining way to learn of a new culture.
Sara - I do what I want to
Posted at 08:30h, 13 DecemberIt is really nice to concentrate that much cultural art in just one spot! I can’t think it could be done in my country (Spain) for so many reasons nonrelated to art!
The Travel Ninjas
Posted at 08:37h, 13 DecemberHello Sara. This did put a lot of performance into a short time. It really moved along well.
FS
Posted at 09:07h, 13 DecemberLooks like an amazing cultural show. The performances seem to be really superb. Thanks for sharing.
The Travel Ninjas
Posted at 09:19h, 13 DecemberHello FS. It was a superb show and very fun.
Natalie
Posted at 10:08h, 13 DecemberI would love to see such a show. Learning about a culture makes the experience so much more meaningful – especially for children. I know the kids would love it!
The Travel Ninjas
Posted at 10:10h, 13 DecemberHello Natalie. We’ve seen many kids at this show and they really seemed to enjoy it. There are always new performers in different colourful costumes coming out to keep everyones attention.
Debra @ Traveling Well For Less
Posted at 12:06h, 13 DecemberI haven’t been to Vietnam yet adding this to my list of must do’s for when I get there.
The Travel Ninjas
Posted at 12:08h, 13 DecemberHello Debra. That’s great. We love Vietnam and Hope you enjoy it too.
Mike
Posted at 21:28h, 13 DecemberThe lotus lantern dance looks really cool. I’d love to see it. I can’t believe that Dan da is a 2000 year old stone xylophone! So amazing!
The Travel Ninjas
Posted at 21:30h, 13 DecemberHello Mike. The Lantern was quite a spectacle and The Dan Da blew us away.
Chante Burkett
Posted at 21:51h, 13 Decembercultural shows are so entertaining and fun to watch
The Travel Ninjas
Posted at 21:55h, 13 DecemberHello Chante. We love culture shows too.
Jasmine Watts
Posted at 03:54h, 14 DecemberWow.. sounds like so much fun! I hope to check out something like this one day.
The Travel Ninjas
Posted at 03:55h, 14 DecemberHello Jasmine. It was fun. Hope you do see the show one day.
Mar Pages
Posted at 03:56h, 14 DecemberI’ve seen dragon dancing before on Chinese New Year, but that Birth of the Baby Dragon looks so amazing! I love learning about culture through performances like these, so embedded in the history of the country. Thanks for the review.
The Travel Ninjas
Posted at 03:58h, 14 DecemberHello Mar. We love fun ways to learn about other cultures too. And the baby dragon was so cute.
chris
Posted at 08:05h, 14 DecemberAs much as I wanted to, I could never get into the Vietnamese water puppetry.
There’s no denying their skill, but the shows were just too long for my tastes 🙂
The Travel Ninjas
Posted at 08:09h, 14 DecemberHello Chris. Yes. This water puppet show is great because it so much shorter than the typical one. You get to see the skill but it doesn’t drag on with repetitive stuff.
Neha
Posted at 09:46h, 14 DecemberWow..the puppet show and the lotus dance are both mesmerizing. This reminded me of a puppet show I just saw on my recent visit to Rajasthan, India. Beautiful!!
The Travel Ninjas
Posted at 09:48h, 14 DecemberHello Neha. Yes it was a great show. We’d love to see the performances in Rajasthan too.
Nadine Smith (Scenes From Nadine)
Posted at 12:20h, 14 DecemberMy husband and I just visited Hanoi last month, and we were supposed to go watch the Water Puppet Show but ran out of time so we decided to skip it. I would like to visit Saigon one day. The baby dragon looks so cute! I think I might enjoy that one 🙂 The Lotus Dance also looks so interesting and beautiful in your photo!
The Travel Ninjas
Posted at 12:25h, 14 DecemberHi Nadine. Oh, so sorry to hear that. The show was quite enjoyable. Hope you will make it to Saigon sometime in the near future. 🙂
Ana Ojha
Posted at 15:23h, 14 DecemberI love going to the cultural events and shows and all these shows look amazing! Thanks for sharing all the information. I’d love to explore all of them!
The Travel Ninjas
Posted at 15:25h, 14 DecemberHello Ana. Thank you. We love exploring these cultural events too.
Nathan
Posted at 20:25h, 14 DecemberThe show looks really cool! I didn’t get to see one when I was in Vietnam. Also, the hotel is gorgeous.
The Travel Ninjas
Posted at 20:26h, 14 DecemberHello Nathan. It was a cool show and the Rex is very lux.
Doreen Pendgracs
Posted at 09:35h, 15 DecemberI would love to visit the The Golden Lotus Theater in Saigon. It looks like a great way to learn about traditional Vietnamese culture.
The Travel Ninjas
Posted at 09:40h, 15 DecemberHi Doreen. We agree and had a great time at the show.
Punita Malhotra
Posted at 12:18h, 16 DecemberCultural shows like these give so much insight into a country. Dance, music and the arts are thriving more because of tourism.
The Travel Ninjas
Posted at 12:21h, 16 DecemberHello Punita. That’s true. Tourism does help the arts and artists thrive.
Sandy N Vyjay
Posted at 01:27h, 17 DecemberOne should definitely try cultural shows like these. we can learn so much about different traditions. Would love to attend this cultural show someday. It is a great mirror to the Vietnamese culture.
The Travel Ninjas
Posted at 12:33h, 17 DecemberHello Sandy and Vyjay. This show highlights lots of great cultural moments for Vietnam. We loved it.
Chi Le
Posted at 19:49h, 17 DecemberWhat a great post! I used to visit Saigon but haven’t been to this culture show! I’ll definitely get there if I ever drop by the city again in the future!:)
The Travel Ninjas
Posted at 19:50h, 17 DecemberHello Chi Le. Thank you. We enjoyed the show. If you see it, let us know your opinion.
Izzy
Posted at 00:24h, 19 DecemberOh interesting! I live in Saigon but I’ve never heard of this place. Seems like something I should check out. I went to the puppet theater and later learned there’s a better one in Hanoi so I’ve kind of being saving cultural experiences for when I visit the north and do the tourist circuit.
The Travel Ninjas
Posted at 00:30h, 19 DecemberHello Izzy. Hanoi has some great shows. The advantage of this one is the pacing and variety. Hope you enjoy if you see it. Let us know.
Kevin Wagar
Posted at 14:10h, 19 DecemberThat looks like a great show! I bet my kids would love it too!
The Travel Ninjas
Posted at 14:20h, 19 DecemberHello Kevin. We’ve seen lots of kids there. They seem to enjoy the pacing and changes of colourful costumes.
Christina Guan
Posted at 04:19h, 20 Decemberlol @ your frisky dragons caption hahah. These all look really neat, but the lotus lantern show especially looks amazing! That would be my pick 🙂
The Travel Ninjas
Posted at 04:20h, 20 DecemberHello Christina Guan. Yes the frisky dragons were hilarious. And the lanterns were amazing. The moves were simple but the choreography of the lights moving was awesome.
Ami
Posted at 08:44h, 20 DecemberSounds like a lovely cultural experience. I like the way you have described all the dances – with their central theme, They definitely help understand and appreciate the culture better.
The Travel Ninjas
Posted at 08:59h, 20 DecemberHello Ami. Thank you. We love Vietnam’s long, rich history and wanton share it.
Gypsycouple
Posted at 11:51h, 20 DecemberSounds like a wonderful show. We haven’t been to Saigon yet but this definitely seems like something we would like to see. Birthing of a new dragon seems hilarious!
The Travel Ninjas
Posted at 11:55h, 20 DecemberHello Gypsycouple. The baby dragon popping out was so funny. It was actually a surprise.