The journey to compensate for the losses of martyrs' relatives
"Skyline" - meaning "horizon" - is also understood as a boundary connecting the past and the present. The journey of young people in the group started in 2021. Initially only those who love editing photos, but the more they do, the more they learn about history. From the first photo was restored, the whole group gradually fostered the mission to color the memory of war.
Sharing about the difficulties in the process of restoring martyrs' photos, Mr. Nguyen Quoc Anh (member of the Skyline group) said that the initial photos were mostly old and of low quality. Some photos are even rotten and time-honored, making it difficult to verify the identity of martyrs.
"We have to rely on the description of relatives, or identify faces from family members to restore. The most difficult thing is the eyes, how to portray the gentle demeanor of the soldiers who had faced the rain of bombs and bullets, Quoc Anh shared.
Regarding the implementation time, according to Mr. Tong Van Duy (member of the Skyline group): "At first, each photo took about a few days to complete. There is a photo of the brothers working together all month to most realistically depict every detail. Now, with the help of AI, the restoration is much faster and more accurate.
The process of giving the photos after restoration also left many emotional memories for the members.
Each photo trip is a different story, a different emotion. Nearly 7,000 photos of martyrs and photos of Vietnamese Heroic Mothers have been given away, but that number is still nothing compared to the millions of people who have sacrificed for peace today, Mr. Quoc Anh choked up.
In addition to directly connecting with martyrs' relatives, the Skyline group also coordinates with agencies and organizations in many localities such as Hai Duong, Hanoi, Quang Ninh, Phu Yen, Nghe An, Ha Tinh... in meaningful projects.
Commemorating the 50th anniversary of the Liberation of the South and National Reunification
For Skyline members, photo restoration is not simply a technique, but a journey to preserve memories, show gratitude and inspire national pride. In projects celebrating the 50th anniversary of the Liberation of the South and National Reunification, the group has restored a symbolic photo: tank 846 entering the Liberation Palace on April 30, 1975 by journalist Tran Mai Huong, and presented more than 700 restored copies to the community.
The group also applied artificial intelligence (AI) to recreate historical footage. One of them is a film about the Special Forces soldiers of Rung Sac - those who performed the "ative soup" to complete the sacred mission: burning down Nha Be gas station, contributing to the historic victory of April 30, 1975 .
Mr. Nguyen Quoc Anh shared: "From restored photos, carefully wrapped, solemnly wrapped the national flag to the martyrs' relatives, to footage recreating memories... all are the thoughts of young people showing gratitude to the previous generation who sacrificed for independence and freedom".
For the members of the Skyline group, whether it is just a photo or a film, for the martyrs' families, it is a sacred souvenir, sometimes the only thing left about their children, husbands, fathers, grandparents... That is what urges Mr. Quoc Anh, Mr. Duy and the members of the group to continue their meaningful journey, on behalf of today's young generation to show gratitude to those who came before them.
