Jack Clayton at Dulce Thảo Điền: Four Metres of the Saigon River

At our Thảo Điền bakery, 16 Đường số 54, one wall carries a four-metre canvas print of Jack
Clayton’s hand-drawn Ho Chi Minh City riverside. On another wall hangs a one-of-one Saigon Compass he
printed for us, and a corner of the shop sells his prints. Jack is a friend of more than ten years, and we
love his work. Open every day, 08:00 to 21:00.

Two long-time expats, back together

I met Jack in 2015. We were both teachers at the same teaching company in Ho Chi Minh City, two
foreigners who had chosen to build a life here, and that is where I first learned about his art. He
was drawing the city he had made his home, and you could see how much he loved it.

In time we both moved on from that job and went our own ways. Jack built a printmaking practice and a
gallery. I helped build a bakery. But I never stopped following his work, and I never stopped
admiring the way his love of Vietnam runs through every piece of it.

When we opened our second bakery in Thảo Điền, I wanted the room to say something true about how we
got here. So I came back to Jack. More than ten years after we met, two long-time expats are working together
again, this time to celebrate the country that gave us both a home. His river on our wall, his
Compass with our bakery hidden inside it, and his prints in the corner are how we mark that.

The riverside: four metres by one and a half

Walk past the counter and look right. Along the banquette wall runs the Saigon River from the Khánh
Hội waterfront round to Landmark 81, every major building drawn in by hand in pen and pencil, then
printed on canvas at four metres by one and a half. Pull up a chair under it with a coffee and you
can trace the whole bend of the river without standing up.

In Jack’s words:

“I’m really proud to work with Dulce to highlight the largest printed piece we have ever put up.”

The Saigon Compass, one of one

On another wall hangs his Saigon Compass: a drawing built on a smashed American war compass whose
cracks read as a bird’s-eye view of the city. The outer ring carries Saigon’s history, and inside,
each district is given its own strength or quality. It is a map of a city drawn by someone who
clearly loves it.

Jack prints the Compass in many versions, in black and white or colour and in several sizes. The one
he printed for us is one of one: a giclée on traditional Xuan calligraphy paper with our An Khánh
bakery hidden somewhere inside the map, inscribed “Dulce 1/1” and signed. No other Saigon Compass he
prints carries it. We will not say where the bakery is hidden. Finding it is the point.

Who Jack Clayton is

Jack is a London-born printmaker and illustrator who has lived in Ho Chi Minh City since 2012. He
studied graphic arts and design at Leeds and trained at the Frans Masereel Centrum in Belgium. His
woodcuts are carved from his own drawings and printed entirely by hand, burnished without a press,
and his work draws on both European Expressionism and Japanese ukiyo-e. With his wife he runs
Saigon Print Shop, his gallery and studio in District 4.

We celebrate local and independent artists

Jack is the heart of the room, but he is not alone in it. Dulce celebrates local and independent
artists, and our Thảo Điền shop was built with the work of people we admire. Nai Ngọc
(@cilla_naii) painted the wall around our Dulce sign. Thục
Anh (@_thc.anh) drew the little details, from our stickers to
our gift bags. Wá Méo (@wame0) drew the artwork on our team’s
uniforms.

And on the shelf sits my first home stand mixer, painted by Fanny Lê
(@graindenoir.tattoos). I bought it in America in
2011. When I visited home from Vietnam in 2019, I brought it back with me and started teaching Thư to
bake with it. It worked hard in our home bakery while we built the business, and it broke more than
once from being plugged into the wrong socket, until it finally retired in 2023. For the new shop we
brought it out to celebrate it, and asked Fanny to decorate it, because we include local artists
wherever we can.

Independent artists are a big part of what makes Saigon feel like Saigon. We would rather our walls
carry their work than anything off a shelf.

Take a piece home

A small corner of the shop holds Jack’s prints for sale, with details on the work. To see more, visit
Saigon Print Shop at 10 Đường Số 7, Khánh Hội, District 4 (Thursday to Sunday, 12:00 to 18:00, or by
appointment), browse jackclaytonart.com, or follow
@jackclaytonprint on Instagram.

At a glance

FAQ

Where can I see Jack Clayton’s art in Saigon?
At his gallery, Saigon Print Shop in District 4, and at Dulce de Saigon in Thảo Điền, where his
four-metre Ho Chi Minh City riverside hangs along the banquette wall.

How do Dulce and Jack Clayton know each other?
Garret Nelson, Dulce’s co-founder, met Jack in 2015, when both taught at the same teaching company in
Ho Chi Minh City. Years later Garret brought Jack’s work into the Thảo Điền bakery.

Is it a mural?
No. It is a hand-drawn pen and pencil illustration, printed on canvas and hung on the wall.

Does Dulce work with other local artists?
Yes. Dulce celebrates local and independent artists. At Thảo Điền you will also find work by Nai
Ngọc and Thục Anh, uniform artwork by Wá Méo, and a stand mixer painted by Fanny Lê.

Can I buy Jack Clayton prints at Dulce?
Yes. A corner of the Thảo Điền shop sells his prints. His full range is at Saigon Print Shop and on
jackclaytonart.com.

Can I buy a Saigon Compass?
Yes, from Jack. He prints it in black and white or colour, in several sizes, through Saigon Print
Shop and jackclaytonart.com. Ours is the only one with the Dulce bakery hidden inside it.

Do I need to order anything to look at the art?
No. Come in and take your time with it, perhaps over a coffee or one of our
deli sandwiches.

Where is the bakery hidden in the Saigon Compass?
That part is up to you.

Dulce de Saigon, Thảo Điền · 16 Đường số 54, An Khánh Ward · Open every day, 08:00 to 21:00 ·
Directions on Google Maps