Most cultures have some aspect of puppetry from history, ranging from single puppeteers to three expert manipulators using one doll to express human emotions, but Vietnamese water puppetry, or Múa rối nước, has been a staple of Viet Nam’s culture since it was introduced by the Chinese thousands of years ago. Performers standing waist deep in water (originally rice paddies) use bamboo sticks to manipulate vividly painted puppets to entertain the public and tell legends through this aquatic method. It is estimated to be over 1000 years old in Viet Nam alone. Given China was the largest occupier for centuries, Vietnam was once a protectorate under ancient China. Current assumptions are that Chinese occupiers brought teachings of the puppeteering craft and passed their knowledge onto northern villagers, and after the cultural influence had faded as occupation was replaced by Vietnamese nationalism, the culture of retelling history via water puppets transformed into a uniquely Vietnamese tradition. Each puppeteer would carve and control their own puppet, passing the knowledge to the next generation through self-training and shared community. Through my close readings of live and recorded Múa rối nước, and by examining others' writings about this practice's evolution throughout history as well as local reception, I will seek to answer why such a unique form of theatre has gone unnoticed and under-appreciated in our modern era of spectacle. And with tourism already being a primary draw to Viet Nam, how can those working on Múa rối nước harness its potential for global recognition?