Phu Yen youth pay tribute to heroic martyrs

Relatives of martyrs were moved when receiving reconstructed portraits of martyrs made by a group of young people. Photo: HA MY

Priceless spiritual gift

Holding the reconstructed photo of the martyr in their hands, the relatives and families of the martyrs burst into tears with emotion and happiness. To them, this is a priceless gift from the young people who have captured the images of the martyrs in a realistic and vivid way.

Mrs. Tran Thi Luom (73 years old, living in An Tho commune, Tuy An district) is the younger sister of martyr Tran Nhay. Mrs. Luom said that at the age of 16, her brother left to join the army and heroically sacrificed himself without leaving behind any photo. “For more than 40 years, because there was no photo of my brother, my family worshiped him with the title of Fatherland's merit on his altar. My brothers and I have been wondering how to have a photo to worship him,” said Mrs. Luom.

Fortunately, what Mrs. Luom and her family have been worrying about for so long has been supported by the Youth Union members. On the day she received her brother’s restored portrait, Mrs. Luom hugged the portrait tightly, choking with emotion: “The portrait is so beautiful. From now on, my brother’s altar will have his picture. My family is very grateful to the young people. The care and gratitude of today’s young generation for the martyrs is a great source of encouragement for relatives like us.”

Proud and grateful to the previous generation, today's youth will continue the tradition, strive to preserve the great revolutionary achievements, study, work, enthusiastically compete to contribute, enthusiastically participate in volunteer activities and movements, and join hands to build a rich, beautiful, and civilized homeland and country.

Deputy Secretary of Provincial Youth Union Nguyen Thao Giang

For many years, Mrs. Pham Thi Hong Lieu and her family have been tormented by the longing for her sister, martyr Pham Thi Hong Ky. Martyr Hong Ky died in 1968, and her remains still lie deep in the forest. Among the few remaining mementos of the martyr, there is only a photo of the martyr taken when she was young, which has gradually faded over the years. “The photo was taken when my sister was about 6-7 years old, and it has faded away. I had intended to restore her portrait, but for many reasons I have not been able to do so. When I received my sister’s portrait restored by the Youth Union members based on the old photo, I could not contain my emotions. To this day, my sister’s remains have not been found and this photo is a consolation for my family,” Mrs. Lieu confided.

When receiving the two portraits of his father and mother restored by the young people, Mr. Nguyen Van Trong (71 years old, in Xuan Phuoc commune, Dong Xuan district) burst into tears like a child. Mr. Trong shared: “My father is martyr Nguyen Bach Quang, who died in 1962 when he was just 31 years old. At that time, I was only 7 years old. For more than 60 years, I have always missed my father and wanted to restore a memorial photo for him. My family and I thank the young people for bringing this priceless spiritual gift.”

How young people show gratitude

According to Mr. Nguyen Thao Giang, Deputy Secretary of the Provincial Youth Union, among the more than 13,000 martyrs who fell on Phu Yen land, there are those whose only remaining mementos are photos that are no longer intact and have faded over time. There are martyrs whose portraits do not remain, and their altars only have a certificate of merit from the Fatherland. Worried about the longing of their families, Phu Yen youth cherished and determined to carry out a special program, a gift for the families of martyrs. Launched in June 2024, after more than 1 month of implementation, the Provincial Youth Union and the young group Team Lee received requests for photo restoration from 56 martyrs' families and successfully restored 63 portraits, giving them to the families of martyrs' relatives.

Continuing the success of the 2024 program, from the beginning of 2025, the Provincial Youth Union Standing Committee has made the restoration of martyrs' photos one of the key tasks; at the same time, it has directed all levels of the Youth Union in the province to proactively contact the martyrs' families to grasp the information, needs and wishes of the families in restoring martyrs' photos. Recently, 58 restored portraits of martyrs were respectfully handed over to the martyrs' families by the Provincial Youth Union in coordination with the Team Lee youth group. This is one of the activities in the youth program series to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Liberation of the South and National Reunification (April 30, 1975 - April 30, 2025) and the 50th anniversary of the Liberation of Phu Yen (April 1, 1975 - April 1, 2025), marking an important milestone in the journey of gratitude and affirming the responsibility of the young generation in preserving and promoting patriotic traditions.

Mr. Le Quyet Thang, Team Lee leader, shared: “Most of the photos of martyrs that the restoration team received were black and white, old and faded, and there were even cases where the martyrs had no photos, and their immediate relatives were no longer there, but we tried our best to coordinate with their families and relatives to describe each detail to make photos of the martyrs. The warm reception from the martyrs’ relatives and the community has motivated us to make efforts on our journey of gratitude. This is also a meaningful message to remind our younger generation of our responsibility to preserve and continue the achievements that our fathers and brothers, the heroic martyrs, have created.”

Source: https://baophuyen.vn/goc-tre/202504/tuoi-tre-phu-yen-tri-an-anh-hung-liet-si-6a01ce2/