On a late July afternoon, in a small house in Hoa Quy commune ( Thanh Hoa province), Ms. Le Thi Trang (born in 1990) could not hide her emotions when she received a sharp, color photo of martyr Ha Van Hau (her uncle). This photo was restored for free by Mr. Le The Thang (born in 1988) and given to the family.

Martyr Ha Van Hau was born in 1950 and died on the Tay Ninh battlefield in 1970. The only keepsake he left his family was an old photo that had faded over the years. For many years, Trang had always longed to see her uncle's face clearly, but had never had the chance.

“On July 5, I happened to see information about Mr. Le The Thang recreating a martyr’s photo on social media. I boldly texted him and received a reply within a few minutes. Mr. Thang agreed to help and even said he would do it for free and send it to my house,” Ms. Trang emotionally recounted.

Photo of martyr Ha Van Hau restored by Mr. Le The Thang for Ms. Trang's family. Photo: NVCC

17 days later, Mr. Thang personally brought the photo to Ms. Trang's family. In the glass frame, the face of martyr Ha Van Hau appeared clearly, so real that it was heartbreaking. "The photo looks so real. My whole family was moved. Up to now, my family has not found his remains, so the photo is like a miracle, helping me see my relatives again after more than half a century. I am very grateful to Mr. Thang," Ms. Trang shared with tears in her eyes.

Ms. Trang’s case is just one of hundreds of families that have received support from Mr. Le The Thang to restore martyrs’ photos for free. From old, faded photos over time, through the meticulous hands and responsible heart of Le The Thang, the faces of heroic martyrs are gradually portrayed realistically. For many families, it is not just a photo, but the image of memories, a way to meet relatives after many years apart.

Humanistic journey originates from passion for photography

“Since I was a child, I have loved painting, especially portraiture. During my high school years, I often passionately sketched businessmen, artists, historical figures… that I admired,” said Le The Thang.

In 2005, seeing his nephew’s passion for photography, Thang’s uncle (who was then the owner of a photo studio in Tho Lam town, Tho Xuan district, Thanh Hoa) invited Thang to help out. From there, the young man began to get acquainted with cameras, learned how to edit frames, and gradually became passionate about restoration work. With talent and a willingness to learn, his skills improved rapidly.

Mr. Le The Thang at his familiar working corner. Photo: NVCC

After graduating from high school, Thang went to Ho Chi Minh City to work at a photo shop. At the end of 2010, he returned to his hometown to open an internet cafe. Although he changed his business direction, because he still loves photography, he took advantage of his free time to restore old photos for customers.

Thang’s turning point came in 2015, when someone asked him about a place to restore photos of martyrs. Proficient in photo processing techniques, Thang immediately offered to help. With his existing photo editing skills, he restored the portrait in just over an hour. When the finished photo was handed to the woman, she was silent for a long time, tears silently falling.

“That moment made me realize that restoring martyrs’ photos was unlike any other type of photo before. For the first time, I deeply felt that portraits were not just a product, but a memory, a presence of the deceased in the hearts of their relatives. That feeling made me know that this was a humanitarian mission that I needed to pursue,” Thang shared.

Since then, he has been quietly restoring photos for free for the people where he lives. Every time he goes to take photos for customers, if he sees a family worshiping old photos of martyrs, he proactively offers to restore them. As social networks develop, his work gradually becomes widely known. Many people from all over the country contact him to restore photos of heroic martyrs. To date, Mr. Thang has restored about 500 photos of martyrs for free, framed them, and sent them to families across the country.

Mr. Thang with the photos of martyrs he restored. Photo: NVCC

Each photo is a stick of incense

The biggest motivation for Thang to pursue the job of restoring martyrs' photos comes not only from his professional feelings, but also from the memories of the fierce days on the battlefield that his father told him. His father is a veteran, Le The Hoa, who fought in the ancient citadel of Quang Tri. He was lucky to return after the war but carried with him severe consequences of Agent Orange. His memory is sometimes clear, sometimes blurry, many things in daily life can be forgotten, but the memories of his comrades and the battlefield are still deeply engraved in his mind.

“My father told me in great detail, remembering every battle and every comrade who fell. He was lucky to return, but his heart was always filled with pain for those who did not return. When he saw me restoring photos for the martyrs’ relatives, he often said: Doing this is a great job, try to help as many families as possible and don’t take their money,” Thang said.

According to Mr. Thang, photo restoration is not simply about clarifying each facial feature, but more importantly, it is about recreating the spirit and temperament of the person in the photo. Photo: NVCC

The portraits sent to Mr. Le The Thang for restoration were mostly decades old, many of them were faded, blurred, or even just sketches based on the memories of relatives. Therefore, the restoration was not simply a technical operation, but a journey to find portraits from fragments of memories. He often had to talk to the family to understand more about their appearance and temperament, or ask for more photos of the martyr's relatives to compare and clarify the features.

“Restoring old photos already requires meticulousness, but with photos of martyrs, I have to be many times more careful. Not only do I have to make the photos clear and accurate, but I also have to exude the spirit and temperament of the soldier. I always try to make each photo not only vivid but also soulful,” Thang shared.

The photos were printed and carefully framed by Mr. Thang before being given to the families.

Another challenge is sending photos via social media. Most of the martyrs’ relatives are old and do not know much about technology. Many of the photos sent are skewed, reflective or out of focus. When faced with such cases, he patiently guides them on how to retake the photos or suggests sending the original photos by post.

On average, each photo takes 4-6 hours to complete. Severely damaged photos can take several days, especially when they require multiple adjustments based on family feedback. Many nights, he has to stay up all night to fix every little detail like eyes, wrinkles, and cheekbones.

“Nowadays, artificial intelligence (AI) has appeared, helping to shorten the time for complex image processing. However, I only use AI to restore the lines, but to create a soulful portrait, it still requires meticulousness and human emotion,” Le The Thang shared.

Currently, despite being busy with his fine art wooden furniture business, Mr. Thang still gives priority to restoring martyrs’ portraits. For him, it is not only a gesture of gratitude but also the responsibility of today’s generation towards those who sacrificed for the Fatherland.

Photo of martyr Le Van Khuy restored by Mr. Thang. Photo: NVCC

Having been involved in the restoration work for more than 10 years, he has encountered many disturbing and emotional cases. He still remembers the case of martyr Le Van Khuy (from Thanh Hoa province). He was a special forces soldier who died in an enemy ambush. His family only has one blurry, tilted photo that is very difficult to restore. "With that photo, I spent 2 days adjusting, checking every small detail, trying to reconstruct the face as clearly and accurately as possible to make a memorial photo," he said.

Another time, he was asked to restore a photo of martyr Tran Van Can (from Thanh Hoa province). He died in 1967 when his wife was three months pregnant. Because of too much grief, she fell seriously ill and passed away, leaving behind a daughter who had just been born six months ago. For decades, the daughter has been restoring her father's image with the only blurry group photo, which was given to her by a former comrade of Mr. Can. "She brought the photo to many places for restoration, but no one could clarify it. When I finished, the face in the photo appeared clear and realistic. As soon as she saw it, she burst into tears as if she had met her father again after more than half a century," Mr. Thang choked up.

Photo of martyr Tran Van Can restored by Mr. Thang. Photo: NVCC

In the middle of a small house in Sao Vang commune (Thanh Hoa province), Mr. Le The Thang still sits quietly at the corner of his desk, meticulously restoring each feature of the martyrs' faces through old, faded photos. Each revived photo is not only a technical product, but also a silent tribute to those who sacrificed for the Fatherland. After completion, he carefully prints it out, frames it and delivers it to the martyrs' families as a meaningful spiritual gift. He said that in the coming time, he will continue to expand the free restoration activities. At the same time, he hopes to connect with organizations and individuals to spread this work more widely in the community.

TRAN HAI LY

    Source: https://www.qdnd.vn/phong-su-dieu-tra/cuoc-thi-nhung-tam-guong-binh-di-ma-cao-quy-lan-thu-16/le-the-thang-chang-trai-10-nam-hoi-sinh-mien-phi-gan-500-buc-anh-liet-si-839490