On the evening of March 23, Phung Quang Trung was honored as one of the 10 Outstanding Young Vietnamese in 2024 in the field of social activities by the Central Committee of the Ho Chi Minh Communist Youth Union .
Phung Quang Trung, born in 1996, from Hai Duong province , was originally a marketing employee. Later, Trung decided to leave his job and pursue his passion for photo restoration, beginning a journey to bring images of fallen soldiers back to their families.
After four years of working alongside his colleagues, the Skyline group, founded by Phung Quang Trung, has restored more than 6,000 photographs of heroes, wounded soldiers, and martyrs across Vietnam.
Phung Quang Trung and his colleagues have restored more than 6,000 portraits of wounded soldiers and martyrs. Photo: Provided by the author.
Enhance wartime photographs.
Recalling those early days, Phung Quang Trung said that this journey was a "stroke of luck." The first photograph Trung created came at the request of a nephew who wanted to recreate a picture of his uncle, a war hero who died in the resistance against the US. After three nights of working on it, Trung went to the family to deliver the photograph. Holding the picture in their hands, the family of the war hero couldn't hold back their tears—tears of satisfaction and happiness at having fulfilled their wish. That image touched Trung's heart, motivating him to pursue his journey of embellishing heroic memories.
Trung gathered like-minded individuals with shared aspirations to form the Skyline group, with the mission of restoring old photographs. As the group leader, Trung acts as a connector to maintain and foster strong bonds among members. “In a group environment, there will be many different opinions and viewpoints. However, I will always be the one to share and contribute positively so that the team members understand each other and improve every day. That is the guiding principle for the Skyline group's operation and continued growth,” Trung shared.
Each group takes about 1-2 days to reconstruct a photograph, depending on the difficulty of the documentation provided by the martyr's family. Conversely, some photographs have completely lost their details, and some martyrs have no photographs at all, taking up to half a year to complete. This requires Trung and the members to dedicate a great deal of time and effort to meticulously research every detail and discuss with the family. Based on the image of a relative whose facial features and characteristics most closely resemble the martyr, the group begins sketching a rough draft, creating a foundation for reconstructing the portrait as realistically as possible—what Trung describes as "unbelievable images."
Each photograph reconstructed by the Skyline team holds its own emotion and story. Photo: Provided by the team.
According to Phung Quang Trung, each photograph contains its own emotion and story. Therefore, the team always focuses on depicting the eyes, striving to accurately capture the spirit of the heroic martyr. Because "the eyes are the windows to the soul," they are a crucial element determining the "soul" of the photograph. Simultaneously, during the restoration process, Trung and his colleagues continuously communicate with the martyrs' relatives. The support and input from the family regarding the authenticity and beauty of the photograph are core factors in preserving the original value of the artwork.
Furthermore, Trung and his team members find immense joy in this work, especially in personally delivering the restored photographs to the families of fallen soldiers. "It feels like we're bringing someone home, reuniting them with their family after many years of separation. Particularly for families who haven't been able to find the remains of their fallen comrades, these photographs are a precious source of encouragement and comfort," Trung recalled.
Continuing the glorious journey
On this meaningful journey of gratitude, there is one story that left the deepest impression on Phung Quang Trung: a family in Bac Giang . In October 2024, Trung was tasked with restoring a photograph of a family of a fallen soldier whose mother, a Vietnamese Heroic Mother, was in critical condition. Despite this, the mother continuously called out her son's name. Contacting Trung, the family of the Vietnamese Heroic Mother earnestly wished for a photograph of her with her fallen son. Overcoming the exhaustion from a project trip to Lang Nu (Lao Cai), Trung decided to complete the restoration that very night and send the photograph to the family.
The very next morning, Trung couldn't believe his eyes when he received a call from the family of a Vietnamese Heroic Mother. After seeing the reconstructed photo, his mother gradually recovered, was able to talk and eat. Witnessing that complete moment, Phung Quang Trung and the Skyline group felt even more deeply the value of the good deeds they were pursuing. "It's not just a photo; I think it's a source of life, a spiritual medicine for my mother," Trung said, his voice choked with emotion.
Phùng Quang Trung and the Skyline group presented a restored photograph of a fallen soldier to Heroic Vietnamese Mother Triệu Thị Sùng in Bắc Giang. Photo: Provided by the interviewee.
The journey of restoring the portraits of heroes and martyrs by Phung Quang Trung and the Skyline group has now become a duty and a responsibility to show gratitude to the families of wounded soldiers and martyrs. The group believes: "We are like sons and grandsons in these families, bringing the portraits of our fathers and grandfathers back to the loving embrace of their families." Each hero and martyr who sacrificed their lives has become a part of the nation's flesh and blood, creating the S-shaped land we see today.
Despite the successes already achieved, Phung Quang Trung remains concerned about how to develop a stronger team, restore more portraits, and deliver them directly to the families of fallen soldiers as soon as possible. Because for the Heroic Vietnamese Mothers, time is limited. The group constantly hopes to have more time to continue working on the project and promptly express their gratitude to the Mothers.
Having fully committed to conveying the value of gratitude to the generations of ancestors who sacrificed for the Fatherland, Trung hopes to further spread this message to young people. Through this, he aims to inspire creativity among citizens in the digital age, encouraging practical ideas and actions that express gratitude to those who contributed to the country and the revolution, upholding the principle of "Drinking water, remember the source."
In the coming period, the Skyline group will continue to coordinate with agencies, departments, and organizations to carry out photo restoration projects on a larger scale. At the same time, the group is actively exploring and researching AI technology to create historical films. Trung affirmed that the members will continuously improve their skills and refine their works to recreate in detail and authentically the heroic moments of the nation.
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