This is an audio excerpt from an interview clip with President Ho Chi Minh, produced by the French Broadcasting and Television Office (ORTF) in 1964. The original footage was in black and white.
In 2020, Vien Hong Quang uploaded a colorized version of the clip on social media to mark President Ho's 130th birthday (May 19). The video got thousands of comments praising Quang's work. Quang has since colorized hundreds of video clips and photographs of President Ho Chi Minh, with a deep affection and respect for the great leader and Vietnam's history in general.
“Six years ago, I stumbled upon a project by a group of young people from other countries, who used artificial intelligence to restore black-and-white photographs. I thought why not try that on short videos as well? That's when I got the idea to colorize clips of interviews with President Ho Chi Minh."
Quang said he did all he could, but is still not satisfied with how his first video turned out. Inaccuracies in color reproduction are major challenges in restoration work. He spent a lot of time researching techniques, studying historical documents, consulting online forums, and seeking advice from the older generations to better understand the historical contexts of the materials. Quang's efforts paid off. His colorized footage of President Ho Chi Minh got tens of thousands of views each on social media.
“Colorizing archival materials was still new in Vietnam at the time. It took me a lot of time to learn how to improve the images' quality. My process improved after two years. I got better image quality and managed to streamline my workflow. It was a challenging time so I really appreciate the people who accompanied and supported me."
Among Quang’s supporters in those early days was Trinh Thi Nhu Ngoc. She said: "I was fully on board with Quang's idea when he first set out to restore archival footage of President Ho Chi Minh. He faced a lot of challenges initially. He spent days, weeks, sometimes months coloring a single footage. You also need a budget to maintain the equipment. Personally, I think Quang made the right choice. His work can inspire young people to pursue this work as well."
Restoring archival materials is no small task. You have to understand the so-called "colors" of history. Tones and overlays must accurately represent the historical context behind each document. Quang also had to study old film colorization techniques to make up for their limitations.
The scenery, the clothes, the skin tones and facial expressions of historical figures all require careful editing and attention to detail. Beautifully colorized and sharpened footage may not have much value for archival purposes, but it can help make history more accessible to the general public, especially in the social media age.
Phuong Thao from Hanoi is a fan of Quang’s works. “Quang's colorized footage moved me. We only knew of President Ho Chi Minh through stories and still photos. Watching the videos helped us feel closer to him, as if history was unfolding before our eyes. I think colorizing footage of President Ho Chi Minh like this will encourage young people to engage with history and appreciate the values of our people's history.”
Quang said he hopes what he has done will help enrich Vietnam’s archives, so that the nation’s glorious history can last forever.
