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The first photographs were completed by Trung and his colleagues in 2021, to support families who had lost loved ones to COVID-19. The moments of relatives of the deceased in Ho Chi Minh City embracing the portraits and weeping left a deep impression on the young man, Phung Quang Trung.
Trung shared that he decided to quit his marketing job at a company in Hai Duong to pursue his passion for restoring ancestral portraits for families who do not have them.
Initially, the group had only a few members, each working in a different location—some as photographers, others as ride-hailing drivers—but all sharing a passion for photo editing and restoration. The group agreed to work and interact at night to accommodate each person's individual schedules.
Since then, dozens, then hundreds, of relatives of fallen soldiers have contacted Trung and his colleagues for support in restoring the portraits. In 2021-2022, the Skyline group collaborated with the Hai Duong Provincial Youth Union and many other Provincial Youth Unions to implement a series of plans to restore portraits of fallen soldiers from old, blurry, torn black-and-white photos.
Typical examples include the "Martyrs' Tet" program (Nghe An), donating a portrait of martyr Vo Thi Sau to Hang Duong Cemetery (Con Dao); donating reconstructed portraits of 10 female Youth Volunteers at Nga Ba Dong Loc ( Ha Tinh ), and 13 martyrs at Truong Bon (Nghe An)...
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Images of martyr Thai An before and after being restored by the Skyline group. |
Over time, the group has recruited many new members. These new members receive support and training from Trung and his colleagues in photo editing and restoration techniques, and continue to carry out a series of plans and programs to donate photographs.
The group's new products include "The Day of Return" (Hai Duong), "Photographs Surviving the Storm" (Lang Nu, Lao Cai ); and the restoration of photographs of 65 Saigon Commando martyrs displayed at the Saigon Commando Museum in Gia Dinh…
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In 2017, a special wedding took place in Quang Ninh to fulfill the wish of martyrs Bui Van Luong and Hoang Thi Hong Chiem. Family members brought a portrait of martyr Luong to the bride's house, placed it next to the portrait of martyr Chiem, and then brought the bride's portrait to the groom's house, fulfilling the wishes of the two martyrs.
Upon learning this touching story, the Skyline Group recreated the wedding procession photo, mimicking the portraits of the fallen soldiers, and then collaborated with the Quang Ninh Provincial Youth Union to print a large-format copy to present to the families of the two martyrs.
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The wedding photo of martyrs Hoang Thi Hong Chiem and Bui Van Luong was restored by the Skyline group based on old photos preserved by the martyrs' families. |
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The Skyline Group, in collaboration with the Quang Ninh Provincial Youth Union, presented a wedding photo of two fallen soldiers as a gift during the recent launch ceremony of Youth Month 2025. |
Or, in the tribute program "Hai Duong on the Day of Return," the Skyline Group We learned about the stories of Heroic Vietnamese Mother Nguyen Thi Ngach (110 years old, Thanh Mien district, Hai Duong province) and Mr. Dang Van Tien (114 years old), whose last wish was for their children to return home and share a reunion meal with them.
Trung and his colleagues recreated a family meal with Mother Ngach and her two sons. Although only an old photograph of martyr Dang Van Bang (born in 1947) remained, based on descriptions from relatives, Trung and his colleagues reconstructed the portrait of martyr Dang Ngoc Thoc (born in 1936, Mother Ngach's eldest son) sitting at the reunion meal with his parents.
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The photograph "A Meal with Mother" was meticulously recreated by the Skyline group, depicting the portraits of two martyrs sitting at a meal with Heroic Vietnamese Mother Nguyen Thi Ngach (Hai Duong). |
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Young people in Hai Duong presented Mrs. Nguyen Thi Ngach (110 years old) and Mr. Dang Van Tien (114 years old) with portraits of their two sons who were martyrs. |
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Mr. Dang Van Tien (114 years old) was moved when he saw the Skyline group restore a color photograph of his son, a fallen soldier. |
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Relatives of the two martyrs, Dang Ngoc Thoc and Dang Van Bang, were moved to tears after receiving the restored color photographs. |
In mid-August 2024, Skyline, in coordination with the Hai Duong Provincial Youth Union, presented portraits of two martyrs, Dang Ngoc Thoc and Dang Van Bang, along with a large photograph titled "A Meal with Mother," which was hung above her bed so that Mother Ngach could admire her sons every day. Fulfilling her wish, Mother Ngach and her children were moved as they reminisced about their memories with the two martyrs.
In the summer of 2024, a group of young people visited Heroic Vietnamese Mother Le Thi Luy (102 years old, in Nam Sach district, Hai Duong province). Despite her failing eyesight and trembling hands, when she saw the portraits of her two sons, martyrs Nguyen Ba Duong (1945-1969) and Nguyen Ba Trung (1959-1979), Mother Luy seemed to regain her clarity and lucidity.
Constantly wiping the newly colored photos with a cloth, Mother Luy choked back tears: "Here are my two sons, my sons are so handsome." Recalling the moment she bid her sons farewell, Mother Luy recounted that at their last farewell meal, her son only dared to eat a little, then said he would give the rest to his younger siblings.
Trung shared that, despite the group's tireless efforts, there were instances where they couldn't restore the portraits in time, failing to fulfill the wish of donating photos of fallen soldiers because the heroic Vietnamese mothers had passed away.
The whole group was very sad and regretful for not being able to overcome time and missing the appointment, and they kept telling themselves to try harder so that this regret wouldn't happen again.
"For us, they are also family, sons and grandsons, and we want to restore and bring the photos of our grandfathers, fathers, and uncles back home to our families," said Phung Quang Trung.
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According to Quang Trung, the most difficult task is reconstructing photographs of fallen soldiers when there are no original photos. It requires relying on descriptions of facial features and similarities to family members, demanding a lot of time for interaction and coordination with the family and relatives.
There are photographs that take months, even many months, to recreate the expression, facial features, and eyes in order to achieve the most authentic portrait possible.
The leader of the Skyline group also shared that, in the future, the group will build a platform for images and information about fallen soldiers, not only to serve the needs of the community but also to contribute to educating and nurturing patriotism and responsibility among young people towards society.
At the same time, the group will also increase coordination with provincial and city Youth Unions to connect with units, organizations, and families of martyrs nationwide, applying artificial intelligence (AI) technology to develop the ability to reconstruct images more quickly and accurately.
Trung also hopes that in the future, he and his colleagues will participate more in social activities, support the families of martyrs, and coordinate the organization of programs to honor, celebrate holidays, and commemorate historical events in localities, such as the programs: "Finding the Portrait," "The Day of Return," "Coloring Memories," etc.
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The Skyline team spent a lot of time interacting with the relatives of martyr Nguyen Thanh and various organizations to gather information for the reconstruction and re-creation of the heroic martyr Nguyen Thanh, the character Luom in To Huu's poetry. |
According to Ms. Duong Thi Huong Giang, Deputy Secretary of the Hai Duong Provincial Youth Union, the Skyline group initially started as a program by young people wanting to express their gratitude to the families of martyrs and Vietnamese Heroic Mothers.
Subsequently, the project's success exceeded expectations when the Provincial Youth Union coordinated the implementation of the "Tet of Gratitude" program for the families of martyrs. This program contributed to promoting patriotism and encouraging young people to contribute to the country and their homeland through practical and concrete actions, especially through social welfare and community activities.
This is a new and innovative activity that the Youth Union branches at all levels in the province have coordinated with groups of young people to implement very effectively and meaningfully. The project has donated more than 200 portraits of martyrs and presented gifts to relatives, families of martyrs, and Vietnamese Heroic Mothers with a total value of over 400 million VND.
In 2025, with many important events taking place at the Party, State, and local levels, the Hai Duong Provincial Youth Union will continue to cooperate with groups of young people to carry out projects to restore and donate portraits of martyrs, aiming to spread humanitarian values to various groups nationwide.
Phung Quang Trung's achievements:
- Certificate of Commendation from the Executive Committee of the Ho Chi Minh Communist Youth Union of Hai Duong Province
- Certificate of Commendation from the Executive Committee of the Ho Chi Minh Communist Youth Union of Phu Yen Province
- Certificate of Commendation from the Director of the People's Army Film Studio
Source: https://tienphong.vn/chang-trai-to-mau-ky-uc-post1721598.tpo
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