diff --git a/reacton/ipyvue.py b/reacton/ipyvue.py
index 580c21e..d805834 100644
--- a/reacton/ipyvue.py
+++ b/reacton/ipyvue.py
@@ -3,7 +3,7 @@
 import ipyvue
 
 import reacton as react
-from reacton.core import get_render_context
+from reacton.core import ComponentWidget, get_render_context
 
 
 def use_event(el: react.core.Element, event_and_modifiers, callback: Callable[[Any], Any]):
@@ -11,6 +11,20 @@ def use_event(el: react.core.Element, event_and_modifiers, callback: Callable[[A
     callback_ref = react.use_ref(callback)
     callback_ref.current = callback
 
+    # Put the event name in the widget constructor arguments: the synced _events
+    # trait then goes along with the comm open message. The later on_event call
+    # (in the effect below) only updates _events when the event set differs, so
+    # this saves one update message per widget per event. When the element is
+    # reused from a previous render (memoized) and the widget already exists,
+    # on_event falls back to syncing _events itself.
+    if isinstance(el.component, ComponentWidget) and issubclass(el.component.widget, ipyvue.VueWidget):
+        events = el.kwargs.get("_events")
+        if events is None:
+            el.kwargs["_events"] = [event_and_modifiers]
+        elif event_and_modifiers not in events:
+            # do not mutate the list, it could be shared with a previous element
+            el.kwargs["_events"] = [*events, event_and_modifiers]
+
     def add_event_handler():
         vue_widget = cast(ipyvue.VueWidget, react.core.get_widget(el))
         # we are basically copying the logic from reacton.core._event_handler_exception_wrapper
@@ -32,6 +46,11 @@ def handler(*args):
         vue_widget.on_event(event_and_modifiers, handler)
 
         def cleanup():
+            if rc._closing:
+                # the whole tree is going away: removing the handler would sync
+                # the _events trait to the frontend (one message per widget)
+                # right before the comm is closed anyway
+                return
             vue_widget.on_event(event_and_modifiers, handler, remove=True)
 
         return cleanup
diff --git a/reacton/ipyvue_test.py b/reacton/ipyvue_test.py
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..f7ebbb2
--- /dev/null
+++ b/reacton/ipyvue_test.py
@@ -0,0 +1,90 @@
+import unittest.mock
+
+import ipyvuetify
+import ipyvue
+
+import reacton as react
+
+from . import ipyvuetify as v
+from .ipyvue import use_event
+
+
+def test_use_event_no_sync_messages():
+    """The _events trait should be set at construction and never re-assigned.
+
+    Re-assigning it (by on_event during the effect, or on_event(remove=True)
+    during close) sends one widget update message per widget per event.
+    """
+    on_click = unittest.mock.Mock()
+
+    @react.component
+    def Test():
+        btn = v.Btn(children=["click me"])
+        use_event(btn, "click", on_click)
+        return btn
+
+    box, rc = react.render(Test(), handle_error=False)
+    btn = rc.find(ipyvuetify.Btn).widget
+
+    events_changes = unittest.mock.Mock()
+    btn.observe(events_changes, "_events")
+
+    # the event name went along with the constructor arguments
+    assert btn._events == ["click"]
+    # and the handler works
+    btn.fire_event("click", {})
+    on_click.assert_called_once()
+
+    rc.force_update()
+    events_changes.assert_not_called()
+
+    rc.close()
+    events_changes.assert_not_called()
+
+
+def test_use_event_removed_on_rerender():
+    """When the widget persists but the event changes, _events must sync."""
+    on_event = unittest.mock.Mock()
+    set_event_name = None
+
+    @react.component
+    def Test():
+        nonlocal set_event_name
+        event_name, set_event_name = react.use_state("click")
+        btn = v.Btn(children=["click me"])
+        use_event(btn, event_name, on_event)
+        return btn
+
+    box, rc = react.render(Test(), handle_error=False)
+    btn = rc.find(ipyvuetify.Btn).widget
+    assert btn._events == ["click"]
+    assert set_event_name is not None
+    set_event_name("dblclick")
+    assert btn._events == ["dblclick"]
+    btn.fire_event("dblclick", {})
+    on_event.assert_called_once()
+    rc.close()
+
+
+def test_use_event_component_element():
+    """use_event on a component element (not a widget element) keeps working."""
+    on_click = unittest.mock.Mock()
+
+    @react.component
+    def Button():
+        return v.Btn(children=["click me"])
+
+    @react.component
+    def Test():
+        btn = Button()
+        use_event(btn, "click", on_click)
+        return btn
+
+    box, rc = react.render(Test(), handle_error=False)
+    btn = rc.find(ipyvuetify.Btn).widget
+    assert isinstance(btn, ipyvue.VueWidget)
+    # falls back to syncing _events from the effect
+    assert btn._events == ["click"]
+    btn.fire_event("click", {})
+    on_click.assert_called_once()
+    rc.close()