Drawing on the memories of relatives of fallen soldier Huynh Van Quen, a group of young volunteers painstakingly reconstructed the face of a man who died decades ago. It is work they have quietly pursued for years, restoring images for thousands of families.

Few people know that recreating the portrait of fallen soldier Huynh Van Quen, whose remains were found at Le Thi Rieng Park in Hoa Hung Ward, Ho Chi Minh City, took the young members of photo restoration group TeamLee nearly half a month of piecing together his family’s memories.

With no sufficiently clear photograph for reference, the team had to rely on descriptions from his relatives, from the shape of his face and hairstyle to his build, gradually reconstructing the appearance of the soldier who had died.

The completed portrait was presented to his wife, Nguyen Thi Le, in July 2026. Along with it came a recreated image showing Huynh Van Quen embracing his wife.

It is just one of thousands of photographs TeamLee has restored and printed free of charge over the years. When original photographs are faded, damaged or almost completely devoid of recognizable features, the memories of family members become an invaluable source of information.

Bringing faces back from memory

The work often begins with photographs faded by time.

In some cases, the team simply needs to repair and restore an old photograph. In others, almost no usable image remains for comparison.

Pham Van Tuan, 44, head of TeamLee, said that in particularly difficult cases, the group contacts families to verify information. Relatives describe whatever they can still remember about the deceased person’s face, hair and physical appearance.

Using those details, team members gradually sketch and reconstruct the image.

The finished portrait is first sent to the family for review. If the likeness does not feel right, the team continues making adjustments based on relatives’ feedback.

Only when the family confirms that the image matches their memories is the portrait finalized for printing.

Some cases take days, others several weeks.

For fallen soldier Huynh Van Quen, the team had to start almost from scratch.

There was no photograph clear enough to serve as a reliable reference, leaving the members to gradually envision his face from what his family could still remember.

Nearly half a month later, the portrait was complete.

The work requires patience and extraordinary care because every feature is tied to a memory.

Those restoring the portraits are not simply trying to make an old image clearer. They must also preserve the distinctive characteristics that allow relatives to recognize the father, husband or brother from whom they have been separated for decades.

“There are nights when team members work until very late. What matters most is that when the photograph is printed, it must be a dignified portrait that the family can place on the ancestral altar, so future generations can know the person who sacrificed his life,” one team member said.

From a few photographs to more than 10,000 portraits

Tuan recalled that his involvement began in 2021, when photographs of fallen soldiers were sent to his printing workshop.

At first, only a few arrived at a time.

Realizing that many families still lacked a clear portrait of their loved ones to place on their altars, he offered to print the photographs free of charge and began working with other members to continue the restoration effort.

Five years later, the group has restored and printed more than 10,000 portraits at no cost to the families.

Every photograph carries a story.

Some families had gone for years without a complete portrait of their loved one. In other cases, a restored image helped relatives recognize additional details, leading them to rediscover documents and information connected to the person who had died.

For those doing this work, the most memorable moments often come when the restored photographs are handed to the families.

Tuan recalled families bursting into tears the moment they saw the portraits.

After years without a proper photograph to honor their loved one, they finally had a clear image to place on the family altar.

“Some families were crying and smiling at the same time. For so many years, they had no portrait to place on the altar. Now they finally had one. The team members standing there couldn’t hold back their tears either,” Tuan recalled.

Preserving the faces for future generations

What began as an initiative by individuals has gradually developed into an effort involving coordination with government agencies.

In Ho Chi Minh City, the Ho Chi Minh City High Command works with the municipal police and local authorities to gather information and connect with relatives of fallen soldiers before passing the details on to the restoration team.

During the initiative in the city, 20 TeamLee volunteers have taken part in restoring photographs for relatives of fallen soldiers and families of people who rendered services to the nation.

The group has presented 150 restored portraits to families, while nearly 1,000 others are still being worked on.

Under the plan, these portraits will be completed and presented to relatives between now and War Invalids and Martyrs Day on July 27, 2027.

TeamLee’s members do not directly search for or recover the remains of fallen soldiers.

Their contribution is different: using their skills and technology to reconstruct the faces of those who sacrificed their lives, drawing on surviving photographs or the memories of their families.

For Tuan, this work can continue for generations if more young people become involved.

“Anyone with the technical skills can join us. Our members can teach and support them so they can work alongside us and eventually carry this effort forward, helping even more families,” Tuan said.

In the long journey to search for, recover and identify the remains of fallen soldiers, reconstructed portraits cannot replace memories of those who are gone.

But for many families, they provide the clearest image they have to place on the altar and to show their children and grandchildren as they tell the story of a loved one who left them many decades ago.

Nguyen Hue – Phuoc Sang