Making a photo for a female martyr who died at the age of 19, a Hanoi boy burst into emotion

Looking at the old, tarnished photo with scratches on the neck of the female martyr who died at the age of 19, the Hanoi boy was extremely moved.

Staying up all night to "revive" martyrs' portraits

On the morning of May 5, Khuat Van Hoang (born 2003) returned to Hanoi after a trip to present martyrs’ photos to families in Con Dao. The trip was arduous but left him with unforgettable emotions.

The tears and smiles of the martyr's relatives when they got a clear portrait of the deceased made Hoang feel warm in his heart.

Khuat Van Hoang

Over the past 4 years, Hoang has made many such trips. Ha Tinh , Nghe An, Phu Yen, Quang Tri... all bear the footprints of the young man with meaningful work - restoring and returning martyrs' portraits to families.

For him, it is not just a job but also a connection between the past and the present in a very unique way.

Hoang's journey of gratitude began in 2021, when the Covid-19 pandemic was still raging. At that time, he was majoring in graphic design.

During the social distancing period, when everyone had to stay at home, Hoang took on making memorial portraits for families who had lost loved ones. Among them, there was a special "request".

“That was a request from the family of a martyr. They texted me to ask me to restore an old photo that was damaged, water-stained, and blurred. They asked many places but no one would accept the job and they couldn’t do it because the photo was too old.

The touching moment when Hoang handed over the portrait to the martyr's family

I found this work so meaningful that I stayed up all night to restore the portrait. This work became the beginning of a challenging and meaningful journey for me later on,” Hoang said.

After sending the completed photo back to his family, Hoang immediately received a thank you call. Through the phone, he heard many people crying. They were moved to finally see their loved ones in real life through photos after so many years.

Those tears made Hoang realize that restoring the portraits of the martyrs was something he had to do and could do as quickly as possible to live up to his ancestors' advice "when drinking water, remember its source".

Redrawing the memory

Hoang joined the Skyline group and together with the group restored more than 7,000 photos. He alone restored more than 1,000 photos of martyrs.

Over the past 4 years, Hoang has become accustomed to rushed meals and sleepless nights. He has no days off, balancing his own work during the day so that after dinner, he can devote all his energy to restoring the portrait.

“Many times, when I take my eyes off the computer, it is already morning. There are days when I only sleep 2-3 hours because so many people ask me to restore photos. Of course, I don’t want to say ‘no’ to any relatives of martyrs,” Hoang said.

Hoang presented a portrait to the family of martyr Dang Thi Kim.

Every time he finishes restoring a photo, Hoang feels happy because he has fulfilled the wish of a martyr's relative after many years of waiting.

For the past 4 years, the Hanoi boy has traveled all over the country to directly deliver photos to families. In each region, each home, he has unforgettable memories.

The most recent memory and story that made Hoang extremely emotional was when she presented the portrait of martyr Dang Thi Kim (commonly known as Dang Thi Oanh, from Nam Dinh ) who was murdered by the enemy at the age of 19 while carrying her husband's blood.

The martyr’s great sacrifice “touched” Hoang when he heard the story from his family. He felt even more heartbroken when he learned that his family did not have a complete photo of the martyr to worship.

“The younger brother of martyr Kim confided to me that for many years he had brought the old photo everywhere to ask for restoration, but no one dared to do it for fear of not being able to do it.

When I received the old photo of the martyr, I couldn’t help but see a scratch on the martyr’s neck on the photo. I knew I had to complete this task,” Hoang said.

Receiving the clear reconstructed photo, the martyr's relatives hugged Hoang and cried. He himself was overwhelmed with emotion. The complete photo was something they had been waiting for for decades and had finally gotten.

“There are also moments that make me feel tormented and regretful forever. It was a gratitude project in Hai Duong province, I received a photo restoration for a martyr’s family. The old mother had been waiting for her son’s photo for so many years.

When I arrived to hand over the photo, I found the atmosphere in the house gloomy and quiet. I asked and found out that she had passed away 3 days ago and had not yet seen a complete image of her son.

Hoang clearly understands the meaningful work he is doing.

At that moment, I was stunned, blaming myself for not acting faster so that the mother could see her child before she passed away. After that day, I always prioritized taking photos for Vietnamese Heroic Mothers across the country, in any circumstances,” Hoang confided.

Currently, in addition to his work restoring photos of martyrs, Hoang also works as a graphic designer. His parents were initially upset when they saw their son staying up all night, but when they found out that their son was doing meaningful work, they enthusiastically supported him.

Sometimes, because he was busy taking photos, Hoang did not eat with his parents for a long time, even though they lived in the same house. His parents only said one sentence: "Try your best, son!" That sentence has become Hoang's motivation until now.

“Over the years, I have been overwhelmed with emotion many times when witnessing the moment when the living meet the deceased through a photo. I know how meaningful this work is,” Hoang said.

Source: https://vietnamnet.vn/dung-anh-cho-nu-liet-si-hy-sinh-nam-19-tuoi-chang-trai-ha-noi-vo-oa-cam-xuc-2398545.html