More than half a century after the war, some family reunions now take place with nothing more than a small framed portrait.
Behind thousands of restored memorial photographs of fallen soldiers is the quiet dedication of young volunteers working to reconnect families with their loved ones and bring renewed hope to the relatives of those who made the ultimate sacrifice.
Ahead of Vietnam's War Invalids and Martyrs' Day on July 27, members of the Team Lee Volunteer Photo Restoration Group presented a newly restored memorial portrait of fallen soldier Huynh Thi Lien to her younger sister, Huynh Thi Danh, who lives in Nha Be Commune, Ho Chi Minh City.
Holding the framed portrait, Ms. Huynh Thi Danh broke down in tears. More than half a century after her sister's death, Lien's face appeared clearly once again, restored far beyond what was visible in the original photograph that had faded with time.
Their mother, who had spent years searching for her daughter, did not live to witness the moment. Danh, who had carried on the family's ancestral offerings for her sister over the years, could only say through tears that if her mother were still alive, the mother would be so happy.
Danh recalled that Lien was the most beautiful daughter in the family, warm-hearted, and especially devoted to their father. At the age of 17, she secretly left home to join the revolutionary movement. Because Danh was still very young, she remembers little about her sister. One of her clearest memories is traveling with their mother to Tay Ninh Province to visit Lien. They walked deep into a rubber plantation, covering a long distance as night fell, and did not meet her until about 9 p.m. or 10 p.m.
After the war ended and peace returned, their mother spent day after day waiting for her daughter before eventually setting out to search for her herself. After months of asking for information, the family learned that Lien had been killed in Tay Ninh Province. They were informed that she died on May 19, and the family has observed that date as her death anniversary ever since.
For the family, the restored portrait embodies the longing of a mother who devoted nearly her entire life to waiting for and searching for her daughter.
The restoration of faces that had faded over the decades is the result of countless quiet days and nights of work by members of the Team Lee Volunteer Photo Restoration Group.
Le Viet Thang, the group's leader, said the project to restore portraits of fallen soldiers began in 2021. After completing several early restorations and witnessing firsthand the joy and emotion of families receiving restored images of their deceased relatives, he began thinking about other families across Vietnam who might still have photographs damaged or faded after decades, or who no longer had any image at all of loved ones who died in the war.
From that idea, the initiative gradually expanded.
After nearly five years, Team Lee has restored more than 10,000 memorial portraits in provinces and cities across Vietnam. Nearly 200 of those restorations have been completed in Ho Chi Minh City alone.
The team currently has 17 young members from different parts of the country and a wide range of professions, many of whom do not work professionally in photography or image editing.
Most restoration work begins after their regular workday ends, during evenings or the limited free time they have after work. All costs are covered by the volunteers themselves, from restoring and printing the portraits to personally delivering them to the families. Every service is provided free of charge to the families of fallen soldiers.
