FPT students recreate memories of national war using AI technology

"Sao Dau Hat" - a media project and graduation project of a group of students from Course 17, majoring in Multimedia Communications atFPT University, with the goal of bringing history closer to young people, honoring national heroes and renewing the way history is told through modern technology, carried out from June to September 2025.

The idea of “Star on the Hat” was formed from the moment the group heard the saying of General Phan Van Giang - Minister of National Defense : "Wearing a star on the head, wearing military ranks on the shoulders, carrying the burden of the country, firmly protecting the Fatherland". From the image of a soldier wearing a star on his head, carrying the ideal of living for the people and the country, the group decided to choose the name “Star on the Hat” which is both profound and symbolic.

The project focuses on the period from 1945 to the present - a period that clearly demonstrates the bravery, desire for independence and the will to be self-reliant of the nation. The campaign is accompanied by the Veterans Association, Ho Chi Minh City Youth Union and veterans, aiming to spread the historical spirit to young people aged 18-22.

"Star Hat" project by FPT University students.

Using technology to recreate history from the perspective of young people

The “Sao Dau Hat” campaign featured a short documentary series called “Sao Tren Chien Tran”, consisting of 4 episodes, recording the stories of veterans about their lives, revolutionary activities and wartime memories. Each film is a slice of history recreated from an emotional perspective. Along with that are hundreds of photos that have been restored to life.

To make the content more vivid and accessible to young audiences, the team applied AI technology in the production process. Black and white documentary footage was restored and digitally processed to clarify details, add color and movement. These images were cleverly integrated into the narrative, contributing to the authentic recreation of the historical context while increasing visual appeal.

One of the notable scenes is the image of Colonel Nguyen Van Tau (alias Tu Cang) - head of the H.63 intelligence group, who had worked secretly for nearly 30 years in enemy territory, returning to his family on the night of April 30, 1975. Using AI technology, the team recreated every facial expression, hug and wrinkle, helping the audience feel more clearly the emotions in the moment of reunion.

Applying artificial intelligence to the restoration of historical documents is a big challenge not only in terms of technology but also in terms of authenticity. “Some photos are too blurry, with too little data for AI to be able to fully ‘revive’. Sometimes the reconstructed photos are… too beautiful, to the point of not being real anymore,” shared Nguyen Huu Truong, a member of the project.

Souvenir photo of Ms. Vu Minh Nghia - female Saigon Special Forces soldier after restoration.

The team used a combination of tools: Photoshop for basic color processing and restoration of old details; Nordy AI (developed by Vietnamese) for resolution enhancement and detail selection; Kling AI and Hailuo AI to support motion generation from still images; some GANs models were trained separately to ensure accuracy. Each restored photo was compared with the real person or relative, to make the image as realistic as possible.

With the working principle: "Emotions must touch - but must not exceed the truth", the group decided to invest in light, color, and storytelling rhythm to honor authenticity and not be obscured by the filter of technology. "We do media, but do not take the right to speak for history. History must be told with the truth and memories of those who lived it", said the group representative.

Unexpected results

As of early August 2025, the group had restored more than 200 photos, recording more than 20 stories of special forces soldiers and armed forces heroes through images, narratives and multimedia elements. The series of videos were posted on social networks such as Facebook and TikTok, the campaign attracted more than 2 million views on all platforms, hundreds of comments and shares.

The group said that many veterans thanked the group after watching the video. A history teacher in Ho Chi Minh City asked to use the video as teaching material. A student said that he watched the video with his grandfather and saw him cry for the first time while talking about the war.

Not only stopping at the digital platform, the campaign also organized the interactive exhibition “A Symphony of 45-05-25” at the Saigon - Gia Dinh Special Forces Museum, opening at the end of July 2025 on the occasion of War Invalids and Martyrs Day. The exhibition attracted attention with the “military journey” experience model, in which visitors will take a quick test, be assigned the role of a special forces soldier and “march” through the stations displaying artifacts in the form of direct interaction.

Sharing more about the implementation process, the group said that part of the motivation came from the open and practical learning environment at FPT University. Thanks to the spirit of encouraging students to be creative, the experience of approaching real projects from the first year and the dedication of the lecturers, the group was able to boldly implement a campaign with many technological elements and real-life interactions.

After the end of the “Sao Dau Hat” campaign, the team is developing the next content called “The Story of the Person with the Code Name”, focusing on intelligence soldiers, military medics, and secret liaisons during the resistance war. In addition, the team plans to cooperate with schools and museums to integrate AI into history lessons, and expand the model of real-life experiences for students.

Kim Anh - My Linh

Source: https://vtcnews.vn/sinh-vien-fpt-tai-hien-ky-uc-chien-tranh-dan-toc-bang-cong-nghe-ai-ar959531.html