When history is told by faces
30 portraits of Heroes of the People's Armed Forces in the Dien Bien Phu Campaign are displayed at the Dien Bien Phu Victory Museum and are currently attracting many visitors.
It can be easily seen that each portrait not only recreates the people who made the "glorious victory of five continents, shaking the earth", but also brings the public a close and emotional historical approach.
Unlike the familiar documentary photos in books and newspapers, the 30 portraits displayed at this exhibition are reconstructed using digital technology from original sources. Every wrinkles, gray hair, resolute eyes or gentle smiles are clearly shown, making the distance between history and viewers seem to be narrowed.
Crowds of visitors continuously followed each other along the exhibition room. Veterans stood for quite a long time in front of their former comrades, and many students attentively read each line of information after scanning the QR code attached to each photo.
Before the portrait of Hero Phan Dinh Giot, many people almost fell silent. They not only looked at the face of the soldier who used his body to fill the chau mai hole, but also reread the introductions about his short but brilliant life.
In another corner, the portrait of Hero To Vinh Dien also attracted many people to stop. The stories of soldiers using their bodies to insert cannons to keep the cannons for the campaign still touch many people, even though they have heard them since they were in school.
Interspersed among the Heroes who have gone down in history are portraits of living witnesses such as the Heroes: Cao Xuan Tho, Chu Van Mui or Hoang Dang Vinh...
Each photo is a slice of the campaign, contributing to a panoramic picture of the strength of the Vietnamese army and people in 56 historic days and nights.
I have read a lot about the Dien Bien Phu Campaign, but when I see these faces being restored so realistically, it feels very touching. Each photo makes me want to stop for longer" - veteran Nguyen Manh Duy from Hanoi shared.
So that those who made the victory live forever in memory
According to Ms. Vu Thi Tuyet Nga - Director of the Dien Bien Phu Victory Museum, the exhibition organized to celebrate the 79th anniversary of War Invalids and Martyrs' Day (July 27, 1947 - July 27, 2026) is an opportunity to honor the Heroes of the People's Armed Forces in the Dien Bien Phu Campaign. At the same time, it contributes to educating patriotism and gratitude to today's generations.
The novelty of the exhibition lies not only in the restoration of photos using modern technology, but also in the way information is conveyed. With just one QR code scan, viewers can access complete documents about the life, achievements and important milestones of each Hero.
That approach makes history closer, especially to young people. Instead of just reading the words in textbooks, they face the real faces, the real eyes of the people who contributed to the Dien Bien Phu Victory.
In the room filled with light, silent portraits follow each other on the walls. No sound of bombs and bullets, no more smoke and fire of war, but each face still carries the spirit of a generation that has written a heroic epic with their own blood and youth.
When the last group of visitors slowly walked out of the exhibition room, many people still looked back. Perhaps what remained was not only the names of the Heroes, but the feeling of just meeting people of flesh and blood.
In 2024, on the occasion of the 70th anniversary of the Dien Bien Phu Victory (May 7, 1954 - May 7, 2024), 30 portrait photos of People's Armed Forces Heroes in the Dien Bien Phu Campaign were restored by Team Lee and respectfully donated to the Dien Bien Phu Victory Museum for preservation, display and promotion of value.
