A Single DM, a First SOTD, and the Start of Chanh M. Ho's Creative Journey
How one direct message opened the door to my first SOTD and shaped my journey as a creative developer.
Xin chào — hello, I'm Chanh (mChanh), a creative developer based in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. I've been on this creative path for the past three years. I'm currently open to freelance work and new collaborations — if you have something interesting in mind, feel free to reach out.
A huge thanks to Codrops for the opportunity to be featured in this Developer Spotlight and share a piece of my journey. Let's go!
Recent Launches
1. Huy Phan's Portfolio (2022)
Client: Huy Phan
Collaborators: Huy Phan
Awards: Awwwards (SOTD, Dev Awards), FWA (FOTD), CSSDA (WOTD, WOTM)
Tech stack: Vanilla JS, HTML, CSS, GSAP
This was the first project where animation and motion sat at the very center of the experience — and, honestly, it was a steep learning curve. I had only just started working with GSAP at the time, and the entire site was built with plain HTML, CSS, and JavaScript: no bundler, no modern tooling. It was very much a learn-as-you-build situation.
Despite those constraints, I managed to realize roughly 80% of Huy Phan's original vision. The project took longer than expected, but looking back, I'm glad it still holds up — technically and visually — even today.
2. WON .J You Studios (2025)
Client: Won .J You
Collaborators: Huy Phan, Thinh Doo
Awards: Awwwards (SOTD, Dev Awards), FWA (FOTD), CSSDA (WOTD)
Tech stack: Next.js, GSAP, SCSS
This is the fastest project I've completed to date — design and development wrapped up in roughly two and a half months. The brief called for a storytelling-led experience, which translated into heavy investment in scroll-based animations throughout. The homepage scrolling sequence was both the highlight and the hardest technical challenge of the build.
The end result feels smooth, distinctive, and just unconventional enough to be memorable. Shipping this one was genuinely satisfying.
Fun fact: The entire site is statically generated — no CMS, no backend whatsoever.
3. MIUX Studio (2025)
Client: MIUX Studio
Collaborators: Huy Phan, Thinh Doo
Awards: Awwwards (SOTD, Dev Awards), FWA (FOTD), CSSDA (WOTD)
Tech stack: Next.js, GSAP, SCSS, Prismic, Vercel
Another project that landed somewhere smooth and elegant. The standout challenge here was page transitions — specifically, building two distinct transition types within the same Next.js codebase, which was a first for me.
The image flip transition required the most problem-solving. An early oversight meant the effect could break under slow network conditions if the destination page's image hadn't finished loading. The fix: flip the image to fullscreen first, transition to the new page, wait for the image asset to fully load, and only then complete the flip into its final on-page position. Once that logic clicked into place, the whole experience came together cleanly.
This is a project I'm genuinely proud of — it's one of the most polished things I've shipped.
4. Eislab (2025)
Client: Eislab
Collaborators: Huy Phan, QuangDinh
Awards: Awwwards (SOTD, Dev Awards), FWA (FOTD), CSSDA (WOTD)
Tech stack: Next.js, GSAP, SCSS, Prismic, Vercel
My first project of 2025 also became a personal milestone: my second SOTD recognition after a two-year wait. It was an energetic start to the year and a genuinely unforgettable build.
It was also my introduction to both Next.js and Prismic CMS, which meant a significant portion of the challenge was architectural — figuring out how to keep the project structure and codebase maintainable as complexity grew. Looking back, it's a project that holds a lot of meaning in terms of where it pushed me as a developer.
Personal favorites from this one: the curved slider on the About Us page and the menu animation.
About Me
I still remember my final year of university — the moment I stumbled upon a kind of website I hadn't seen before. Sites that felt alive: smooth, visually bold, and genuinely different. That's when I discovered Awwwards and Codrops, and something clicked. I knew immediately this was the direction I wanted to take my career.
In those early days, it was pure curiosity driving me. I loved the craft and learned by building — even though opportunities for this kind of work were scarce in Vietnam at the time.
A turning point came when I crossed paths with Huy Phan in a design community. I sent him a direct message on a whim, asking if he'd let me build something in that animation-driven style. He said yes — and gave me the chance to develop his very first portfolio website.
After months of grinding and problem-solving, we launched. That project earned me my first Site of the Day (SOTD) — an unforgettable milestone that validated everything I'd been working toward.
That recognition opened the next door: I joined D2 Studio (shout out to Michael B. Luong), where I spent two years sharpening my skills before eventually reuniting with Huy Phan on another collaboration. Since then, I've transitioned into full-time freelance work — which is where I am today.
Away from the screen, one of my favorite outlets is customizing my Vespa — another arena where I get to obsess over detail, aesthetics, and individual character.
Workflow & Stack
1. Core Stack
- Figma (reference design and layout exploration)
- Next.js, React, TypeScript
- Headless CMS (Prismic, Sanity)
- GSAP (animation and motion systems)
- Vercel (deployment)
- Cursor IDE (development workspace)
2. Inspiration & References
- Awwwards, The FWA, CSS Design Awards, Codrops
- Saved references from Twitter (X) and LinkedIn
Future Goals
My focus right now is straightforward: keep growing.
I want more opportunities to collaborate with people across the industry, learn from their experience, and continue refining my craft. On the technical side, I'm planning to go deeper into WebGL, 3D, and also improve my spoken English — all with an eye toward opening up larger opportunities down the road.
Beyond my own trajectory, I hope to see the Vietnamese market become more receptive and genuinely excited about creative development as a discipline.
Final Thoughts
I'm genuinely grateful to everyone who gave me a chance along the way. If my story resonates with even one developer in Vietnam and nudges them toward exploring the creative side of the web, that means a lot.
And a huge thank you to Codrops for the opportunity to share this journey. Wishing the whole community continued growth and even more remarkable work ahead. Peaceeee ✌️
If you think our ideas might align, I'd love to connect and see what we can build together. Explore more of my work at my portfolio, reach me directly via email, or find me on LinkedIn / Instagram.