Nguyen Thu Huong, a 35-year-old visitor from Hanoi, recently travelled to Ninh Binh with her husband and two children. During a visit to Thung Nham eco-tourism area, the family happened to watch a live performance inspired by Adventures of a Cricket (De Men Phieu Luu Ky), one of Vietnam’s best-known literary works for children.
Her children were immediately captivated by performers dressed as ants, crickets and grasshoppers acting out scenes on the water.
“I thought my children might find the trip boring because we were mostly sightseeing. But they became very excited during the performance and cheered throughout the show, especially when the cricket character appeared,” Huong said.
She said she was particularly impressed by a scene featuring a bird chick hatching from an egg and growing inside a nest suspended above the audience.
“The costume looked a little unusual at first, but seeing how much the children enjoyed it made me realise how engaging and meaningful the performance was,” she added.
Another visitor, Tran Khanh Linh from Haiphong, said she had previously seen short video clips of the performance circulating on social media.
“At first, I thought the clips were simply created for online content because the character design looked quite humorous. Only after watching the show in person did I understand the story and artistic message behind it,” she added.
The performance is part of “Nature’s Melody”, a 70-minute live show at Thung Nham featuring four themed acts Adventures of a Cricket, Wings Towards the Sun, Rebirth and Dance of Flowers.
Among the most talked-about scenes are a procession of ants carrying food back to their nest and a giant bird chick gradually learning to fly.
Nguyen Thi Thanh Hang, the show’s chief director, said the performances were designed to reflect the natural setting of Thung Nham while conveying messages about personal growth and the relationship between people and nature.
“The bird chick’s journey from birth, through failure and growth, to finally spreading its wings towards the sun is an artistic metaphor for human perseverance and self-improvement,” Hang said.
Tourism experts say the popularity of the performance reflects Ninh Binh’s efforts to diversify its tourism offerings by combining natural attractions with artistic and immersive experiences.
According to local tourism data, Ninh Binh welcomed nearly 10 million visitors in the first quarter of 2026, up 20.9 per cent from the same period last year. Tourism revenue during the period exceeded VND 10 trillion (USD 380 million).
