Phung Quang Trung (L) is leader of the Skyline group. (Photo: NVCC)

“My name is Phung Quang Trung, I was born in 1995. I’m the leader of a photo restoration group called Skyline, and I live in Hai Duong.”

“I’m Nguyen Quoc Anh. I currently live and work in Hanoi. I’m the deputy leader of Skyline, specializing in restoring portraits of martyrs.”

“I’m Khuat Van Hoang, the youngest member of the group. I’m a graphic designer and I specialize in photo editing.”

These young men, from different regions and walks of life, share a heartfelt compassion for the families of fallen soldiers. Since a chance encounter in 2021, the group members have to date restored thousands of portraits of martyrs across Vietnam.

“It all began by chance on social media. Back in 2021, when COVID-19 broke out, many people passed away suddenly without having a proper portrait. I decided to help by creating portraits for them and offering my support to anyone in need. One day, a young person reached out, hoping to have a faded portrait of his uncle, a martyr, restored. We worked on it, and when he received the restored image, he broke down in tears, while telling us about his uncle. We were deeply moved — and that’s when we realized: this is something we need to do,” Trung said. 

Members of the Skyline group believe that photo restoration is a deeply meaningful endeavor. Quoc Anh told us, “We’re a group of friends passionate about photo editing and restoration. Looking back at the past, we want to bring back the faces and moments of earlier generations. Families who reach out to us simply want to see their loved ones again — to preserve as much as possible of the image and memory of the martyr.”

To get job done, passion is not enough, you need skills too. Van Hoang said that each photo has a different level of difficulty, some are old and damaged. “The restoration process is full of challenges. Many of the photos have lost all detail, and in some cases, there’s no photo at all. We have to rely on verbal descriptions from family members — but often, the closest relatives have already passed away. So we turn to former comrades, to neighbors, asking them to recall what they can.”

Each restored photo is more than just an image—it serves as a bridge between the past and present. Quoc Anh added, “When restoring portraits of martyrs from the war against the US, their family members still remember their faces quite well, so we get more feedback to work with. But with martyrs from the earlier resistance against the French, the relatives are now elderly, and it’s much harder for them to vividly recall and describe the features. There's also very limited reference material or lookalike family photos to draw from.”

According to Quang Trung, sometimes it may take even months. “When we receive a damaged or unclear photo, we start by sketching a rough version, then call the family — sometimes talking late into the night — asking whether the eyes, nose, mouth, cheekbones, or facial shape look right. The family help us describe and refine the features. We redraw it again and again to make it easier for them to visualize. Some lucky cases are finished in 5 or 7 versions, but others can take up to six months — going through dozens of revisions.”

Members of the Skyline group (Photo: VOV2)

Restoring a portrait isn’t simply about fixing flaws, filling in missing pieces, or merging fragments together. It’s a patient, meticulous process — infused with the dedication and heartfelt care that each team member pours into every image.

“To really capture the beauty, likeness, and authenticity of a restored portrait, you have to bring out its soul. The most important element is the eyes. In many cases, we’re working with just half a face, or the eyes are completely gone. Recreating that soulful look is incredibly difficult. The eyes are the windows to the soul. That’s where we focus — to recreate the expression and spirit of the martyr. We pay attention to the smallest details to match the original photo: the lighting in the eyes, reflections, even subtle glimmers — all to bring that gaze to life as realistically as possible,” Quoc Anh said.  

This is VOV5’s Sunday Show, where we are telling a story about a group of young men passionate about restoring martyrs’ portraits and the emotions of giving these portraits to relatives of the fallen heroes.

Despite the technical challenges and the limited time they have outside of their regular jobs, restoring the portraits of fallen soldiers — entirely free of charge — has become an essential part of life for this group of young people over the years. Every photo completed and returned to a family is an unforgettable memory for each member of the group.

According to Quoc Anh, “Each time we complete a portrait of a martyr and personally hand it to the family, we see tears in their eyes. They're overjoyed to hold that photo in their hands — often thinking they'd never have the chance to see their loved one again. I just hope we can keep doing this — the more, the better. Helping more families, bringing joy and comfort to those who’ve lost so much, allowing them to once again see the face of someone they love.”

Hoang proudly spoke about the emotions that came over him every time they completed the restoration of a photo: “Every photo has its own story. When our team deliver these vividly restored images to the families, the emotions are indescribable. After so many years of waiting, those tears they shed upon seeing their son or relative again — those tears are what keep us going, motivating us to do even more.”

Trung was somehow overwhelmed by the miracle that a photo could bring to a family. He said, “Each portrait brings with it a different emotion. Some bring joy, others come with stories that are hard to believe. Just three months ago, I received a request from a young man whose grandmother was gravely ill. She had been bedridden for a month and kept calling out her son’s name — his name was Sinh. She cried out, ‘Sinh ơi, come back to your mother. I’m coming to see you, my son.’ I was so moved that I immediately began working on a portrait of her son sitting beside her. By 4 a.m. I had finished it and sent it to the family. They showed the picture to the grandmother — and she sat up, called out his name, and even ate some porridge. I was stunned. That portrait was like a miracle, a spiritual remedy. Her health improved dramatically afterwards.”

A family receives several memorial photos done by the Skyline group (Photo courtesy of the family).

During the process of photo restoration, there were happy stories, sad stories, and thrilling stories. A family member emotionally said, "It's been 54 years of longing, and today my daughter has finally returned. I'm deeply moved—no gift could ever replace this one for my family. The previous altar photo was blurry and didn't resemble her well. But the newly restored one looks so lifelike. Our family is truly delighted. After all this waiting, seeing this photo now is incredibly emotional."

Quang Trung, Quoc Anh, and Van Hoang want not only to restore the portraits of fallen soldiers, but to personally deliver the portraits to their family and hear the stories shared by their loved ones. These moments fuel the team’s commitment to the work and deepen their sense of purpose. Each restored portrait is a tribute from the youth of today to the brave young men who gave their lives for today’s peace and independence.

“Since we began, our group has completed more than 6,000 portraits of martyrs, heroic Vietnamese mothers, and reunion scenes of martyrs returning home to their mothers. What weighs heavily on us is that some families have had to wait one or even two years. When we finally send them the photo, we always apologize for the long wait. We also have to publicly apologize on social media because, with only about 10 members in the group and such a large number of requests, we simply can’t do more than we already do,” according to Quang Trung.  

“We really want to expand this model and connect with more people who share our passion, so we can build a larger team, honor more fallen heroes, and support more families who sacrificed for the revolution,” Quoc Anh said. 

“I hope people learn about what we do, so the word spreads and families who want to have a martyr’s portrait restored can reach out to us. Maybe we can’t respond immediately or fulfill every request, but we will do our best. We won’t stop. We’ll keep going and do as much as we possibly can,” Van Hoang said. 

The moment when each martyr is “reunited” with their family is filled with emotions that words can’t begin to capture. Each restored portrait brings comfort and solace to mothers, wives, and children who are reminded that others in society remember their loved one with the deepest gratitude.

30-year-old Phung Quang Trung, who leads the Skyline group, was honored as "Outstanding Young Vietnamese Face" on March 26 this year.