As soon as they were posted on social media platforms, these images attracted public attention and positive feedback.
Born and raised in Thanh Hoa , but the hometown of this young man born in 1995 is the land of Nghe An full of love. That is why since childhood, Vien Hong Quang often heard historical stories told by relatives. Those stories contributed to nurturing in the young soul of the young boy Vien Hong Quang a love for his homeland and country.
When he was a student, instead of watching entertaining TV shows, Quang was passionate about historical documentaries about the resistance wars against France and the US. “At that time, I always wondered why those films were only in black and white and I wished: if only they were in color like the documentaries of that time, how great it would be,” Hong Quang shared. Later, when studying information technology in Hanoi , Quang had the opportunity to access more modern technology. This helped him turn his childhood dream into reality.
In early 2020, Quang accidentally watched the trailer of an American-produced documentary about soldiers living and fighting in World War I. It was a completely recolored film. “The images from more than 100 years ago became vivid when colored, which motivated me to study color restoration for documentaries, because Vietnam's source of documents is abundant and extremely valuable,” said Vien Hong Quang.
In April 2020, Vien Hong Quang began restoring old documents. Initially, Quang selected historical photos that impressed him the most to work on. Some were taken during the years of the resistance war against the French, but there were also photos from the first decades of the 20th century.
After sharing his color-restored works on social media, Quang received many positive responses from the public. After individual photos, Quang boldly thought of film footage. The first film footage Quang made was of General Vo Nguyen Giap's speech in Algeria in 1976. The application of modern technology and the support of artificial intelligence made the footage vivid and attractive to young audiences.
From that success, Quang continued to restore color for interviews of historical figures such as: President Ho Chi Minh, Prime Minister Pham Van Dong, National Assembly Chairman Nguyen Huu Tho, diplomat Nguyen Thi Binh,... The documents were collected by Quang from many sources and then re-processed by: de-shake, increase sharpness, add Vietnamese subtitles, colorize, convert image formats to suit modern digital devices...
Depending on the quality and type of material, the time it takes to complete a work varies. For a photo, Quang can complete it within 15-30 minutes; but for a video or a film, the time must be calculated in months or years. There are products that Quang has to redo over and over again. Each product is more vivid and realistic than the previous one.
At the end of 2022, the Department of Information and Communications of Quang Tri province coordinated with the People's Committee of Vinh Linh district to organize a screening of the film "Parallel 17 - People's War". The documentary was completed by famous Dutch director Joris Ivens in 1968, after a long time of researching, living, witnessing and working in the land of fire Quang Tri. With a duration of nearly 120 minutes, Vien Hong Quang worked tirelessly for about a year to restore the vivid and realistic color film footage.
Participating in the exchange within the framework of the screening, Ms. Nguyen Thi Xuan Phuong, who translated for director Joris Ivens when making the documentary, could not hide her emotions and admiration when watching the restored film. She highly appreciated Quang's serious working spirit and daring to take risks. That helped the film become clearer and more sparkling.
Professor, Doctor, People's Teacher Nguyen Quang Ngoc, Vice President of the Vietnam Historical Science Association, commented when watching the restored films: "The vividly colored films help the younger generation not only understand but also correctly evaluate the difficulties, hardships as well as the resilient fighting spirit that the previous generation experienced."
On the occasion of the 80th anniversary of the August Revolution and National Day, September 2, Quang collaborated with a number of units to upgrade and restore the color of 20 photos associated with this important event. This is an opportunity for Quang not only to assert himself but more importantly, it helps him access the country's massive and extremely valuable historical archive. Quang shared: "The images that are reproduced in the most realistic and historical color are my way of expressing my gratitude for the great sacrifices of previous generations. I also hope that the work I am doing will contribute a small part to helping young people love learning about history more."
While a part of young people are indifferent to history, even vague about national history, young man Vien Hong Quang is finding his own way to express his love for history and country. Quang has contributed to creating a method to help young people become more attached to Vietnamese history. With what he is doing, Vien Hong Quang has proven to previous generations to have confidence in the young generation, the people who will always know how to make the heroic history last forever with the development of the country.
Source: https://nhandan.vn/nguoi-hoi-sinh-nhung-hinh-anh-lich-su-post901376.html
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