The Skyline team hands over a restored portrait of one of the 64 martyrs who sacrificed their lives on Gạc Ma Island. VNA/VNS Photo

HẢI DƯƠNG – A group of young people in Hải Dương Province has restored thousands of photos of martyrs, bringing joy and emotion to the martyrs’ families.

The group, called Skyline, is headed by photography enthusiast Phùng Quang Trung.

Since 2021, Trung and his team have restored more than 6,000 portraits of martyrs of Hải Dương and other provinces and cities nationwide.

The group’s activities are completely non-profit, stemming from gratitude to those who made the ultimate sacrifice for the independence and freedom of the Fatherland, said Trung.

Born in 1996, Trung is very fond of photography and photo editing. In 2021, during the COVID-19 pandemic, he came across a story about a martyr's family in Nghệ An Province who had long hoped to have a photo to commemorate their son.

Trung decided to learn photo restoration techniques to give a photo to the family -- and this first photo started a meaningful journey for him.

When Trung shared his idea of restoring photos of martyrs with the photo editing community on social networks, the story quickly went viral, attracting the attention of many people.

Trung received thousands of messages from families of fallen soldiers, while several young people with the same passion for photography also wanted to join the effort.

So he founded the Skyline group, bringing together like-minded people and guiding them in both techniques and how to convey the 'soul' in every photo.

As the group's leader, Trung is meticulous in selecting members.

"For me, every member must share the same noble idea of expressing gratitude and pursue this ideal to the fullest,” Trung said.

“This ensures that each finished photo carries a soul, giving the families of the fallen soldiers a sense of closeness and warmth."

“Some new members initially lacked knowledge in this field. But with determination, they overcame difficulties and gained experience and knowledge," he added.

After receiving information about a fallen soldier, Skyline enters it into a data management system and assigns tasks to the team.

Trung personally handles the more challenging photos.

In over three years, the group has restored approximately 6,000 photos of fallen soldiers, far exceeding their initial expectations.

"Every case is a unique and deeply moving story," Trung said.

The farthest place the group has travelled to carry out their project is Côn Đảo island, where they brought a portrait of the female hero Võ Thị Sáu to the Hàng Dương Cemetery.

When the team brought her portrait to her grave, many local residents attended the ceremony, deeply moved.

Currently, the portrait is displayed in the memorial house for the heroic martyr, a special honour for the group.

Among his most memorable experiences, Trung recalled one unforgettable story.

The Skyline group visited the family and presented Vietnamese Heroic Mother Nguyễn Thị Ngách with a photo simulating a reunion dinner with her two martyred sons. VNA/VNS Photo

In late October 2024, while driving the group back from a project supporting flood victims in Nủ Village of Lào Cai Province, Trung received a special message. It was from a family in Bắc Giang Province, asking for help with a Việt Nam Heroic Mother who was critically ill.

The mother constantly called out for her son, who died in the war. The family earnestly hoped for a reunion photo of the mother and her son to comfort her.

Despite being exhausted from the long journey, Trung could not refuse the family's request. He stayed up all night, working on the photo and sending it to them immediately.

Not long after, Trung received the news that the photo was like a miracle, helping the mother recover, eat, talk and walk again.

Hearing this, Trung's fatigue disappeared, and he realised that what he had done was not just create a photo, but offer a renewed life to the martyr’s mother.

Earlier this year, the family even held a celebration for her long life.

Seeing the joy of the relatives of fallen soldiers when they receive the photos, Trung has become more deeply aware of the meaning of his work.

"Many people emotionally say that, for their family, the photo is a priceless gift. And for me, giving this gift is a great happiness," Trung said.

More projects

Aside from cases that Skyline selects through 'fate', Trung and his colleagues also collaborate with agencies and organisations on large-scale projects in many provinces and cities like Hải Dương, Hà Nội, Phú Yên, Nghệ An and Hà Tĩnh.

Last year, the Hải Dương Provincial Youth Union collaborated with Skyline to organise programmes called 'Hải Dương - The Return' and 'Thanh Miện - The Return', restoring 220 photos of fallen soldiers and personally delivering them to the families.

Recalling these projects, Trung could not hide his emotions.

He said: "The biggest challenge for us was cases where there was no photo reference. We had to rely on the martyr's age at enlistment and descriptions from family members to sketch and adjust the image to closely match their recollection."

This collaboration not only helped the group implement projects more efficiently but also allowed many meaningful gifts to be delivered to the families of fallen soldiers.

"This is a great source of encouragement for us. We are not walking this journey alone," Trung said.

Looking back over the past few years, Trung feels fortunate to have the support of his family, the love of the community and the companionship of professionals.

However, the biggest concern for Trung and the group remains resources. Currently, in addition to their non-profit restoration project, the group also accepts photo restoration orders to generate income and cover expenses. Collaborating with organisations is also a way for the group to contribute to larger-scale projects.

Trung said: "We always adhere to our principle: focusing on quality, not quantity. We put our utmost dedication into every photo."

Over the past three years, Trung and his team have received thousands of messages from families of fallen soldiers nationwide.

Phùng Quang Trung is one of 10 outstanding individuals to receive the 2024 National Volunteer Award. VNA/VNS Photo

The journey of Trung and Skyline continues, and it is encouraging to see this work increasingly supported by the community and society.

While expanding their skilled workforce, the group is also actively exploring and applying artificial intelligence (AI) to enhance photo restoration quality.

"AI helps us improve accuracy and optimise processes, but dedication and heart remain the most important factors," said Trung.

Trung is one of ten individuals honoured with the National Volunteer Award in 2024, and is among 19 nominees for the Outstanding Young Vietnamese Award 2024 by the Hồ Chí Minh Communist Youth Union. VNS