In short: Thanksgiving falls on Thursday 26 November 2026. If you are spending it in Saigon, far from family, a quiet thank-you gift goes a long way: a float therapy gift card from Ōmni Space in Thảo Điền for your Friendsgiving host, a colleague or your first friend in Ho Chi Minh City. You choose the value; a 60-minute float is 1,500,000 VND.
It is late November in Saigon. Back home, the leaves have turned and the family group chat is already arguing about who brings the pie. Here, it is still 32 degrees, your oven is the size of a shoebox, and a dozen friends from five countries are coming over on Thursday. Thanksgiving abroad means fewer relatives and more people who became family this year. This guide helps you thank them properly: gift ideas for the host and the people who got you through the year, notes for the card, and an easy reset for yourself once the last plate is washed.
Thanksgiving in Saigon: the holiday gets a little different
For Americans, Thanksgiving is the fourth Thursday of November, so in 2026 it is Thursday 26 November. Canadians had theirs back on Monday 12 October, so if you are Canadian you may simply be the most relaxed guest at the table this time. In Vietnam it is a normal working day, which is why many expats in Ho Chi Minh City move the meal to the weekend and call it Friendsgiving: a potluck where someone brings the turkey, someone brings the green beans, and someone always brings spring rolls.
Rather eat out? Many Western restaurants in Thảo Điền put on a holiday menu around Thanksgiving, so book ahead. Either way, the part that matters most is the same as at home: saying thank you.
Thank-you gift ideas in Saigon: who to thank this year
A year abroad is held together by a handful of people. Here is how to thank each of them with an hour of real rest.
For the Friendsgiving host
They found a turkey in a city that barely sells turkeys, cooked in a tiny kitchen and washed up for fourteen. Wine is kind. A gift card for a 90-minute float (2,000,000 VND) says “I saw how much work that was.” Leave it under their plate.
For your first friend in Saigon
The one who showed you where to get your bike fixed and the bánh mì stall that became your Sunday ritual. If they have a partner, a couple float makes it easy for them to go together: one square pool for two, 2,200,000 VND for 60 minutes or 2,700,000 VND for 90. Read more about the couple float.
For colleagues who covered for you
The teammate who stayed late when your visa appointment ran over, or who translated that one meeting in real time. A 60-minute float gift card (1,500,000 VND) is a thank-you that does not end up in a drawer. For many it is a first: point them to what float therapy is.
For your helper, driver or the person who keeps your home running
Thanksgiving is a good excuse to thank the people whose work is quiet and constant. If they would rather give the card to their mother or sister, they can: Ōmni gift cards can be re-gifted freely. Add a few words of Vietnamese to the note.
For a friend leaving Vietnam soon
Late-year Friendsgivings are often a goodbye too. If someone at the table is flying home, we wrote a separate guide on farewell gifts for an expat leaving Vietnam.
Choosing a Friendsgiving gift: who it suits and what it costs
| Gift | A lovely choice for | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Single float, 60 minutes | A colleague, a helper, a first-timer | 1,500,000 VND |
| Single float, 90 minutes | The Friendsgiving host, someone who carried a lot this year | 2,000,000 VND |
| Couple float, 60 minutes (2 people) | Your first friend in Saigon and their partner | 2,200,000 VND |
| Couple float, 90 minutes (2 people) | Hosts who cooked together, a couple you owe a big thank-you | 2,700,000 VND |
| Introduction Pack, 3 floats × 90 minutes (1 person) | Yourself, after a long year | 3,000,000 VND (50% off 6,000,000 VND) |
| Gift card, value of your choice | Anyone: they pick the session when they come | You choose |
With a gift card, you choose the value. When the person arrives, the team helps them pick the session that fits the card. If someone brings a partner on a single-float card, the second person simply adds 700,000 VND.
A few words for the card
Borrow one of these, then make it yours:
You fed fourteen of us in a kitchen built for two. Thank you for making Saigon feel like home tonight. Now it is your turn to lie back and do nothing.
My first week here, you were the one who picked up the phone. Happy Thanksgiving, and thank you for every bánh mì since.
Thank you for covering for me more times than I can count this year. This hour is only for you.
Cảm ơn chị rất nhiều. Thank you for taking such good care of our home this year. Please take some time for yourself.
Giving a gift card to someone who has never floated? Send them this short page for people who received a float gift together with the card. It explains what happens, what to bring (almost nothing) and how to book.
The day after: a reset for you
You hosted, or carried two dishes across town on a motorbike. On Friday you wake up full and a little tired. This is when many people book a float for themselves.
Float therapy means lying back in warm water, close to skin temperature, with dense, mineral-rich Epsom salt dissolved in it, so your body floats on its own. The private room is dark and quiet: no plates, no group chat. Many guests say they walk out lighter and calmer. Research on floating and stress is young but very active: small randomised trials found less stress and better sleep after a series of floats, and a single float lowered anxiety in another study.
Ōmni Evidence Scale: Strong evidence, for float and stress. We rate it Strong because, on top of these trials, user experience is overwhelmingly positive: in a 2025 survey of regular floaters, 92% reported relaxation and 77% less stress, echoed by thousands of reviews, Reddit threads and forums, and by athletes and public figures who float. See how we rate evidence on the Ōmni Evidence Scale.
If you are thinking of making rest a habit into the new year, the Introduction Package gives one person three 90-minute floats for 3,000,000 VND, half the regular 6,000,000 VND. Start your first float within a year of buying, then use all three within three months. Bring someone you love to any session for 700,000 VND more. Ōmni also has an infrared sauna with red light and a cold plunge if you like warm and cold together.
Getting your thank-you gift from Ōmni Space
Ōmni Space is at 16C Quốc Hương, Thảo Điền, open 9:00–21:00 every day; the last float starts at 20:00. Every float room is private, with its own shower (the couple room has two), and you do not need a swimsuit. The team opened Vietnam’s first float centre, Float Vietnam, in 2017, and Ōmni has a 4.9 ★ rating from 73 Google reviews (7 November 2026).
Buy a gift card on the gift card page and choose the value. Online payment is by bank transfer; international cards are accepted at the counter. You can also buy at reception, or message the team and they will explain how to receive the card. Buy a few days early so it is ready for Thursday. Full prices are on the float price page.
Living in Saigon and never floated? See what your first float is like →
Float PlanRunning on empty?Take the one-minute Float Plan quiz: tell us how you feel and what you need, and get a simple plan for your first session.Make my Float PlanFrequently asked questions
When is Thanksgiving 2026?
American Thanksgiving is Thursday 26 November 2026. Canadian Thanksgiving was Monday 12 October 2026. In Vietnam both are normal working days, so many expats hold Friendsgiving at the weekend.
What is a good thank-you gift in Saigon?
Something the person would not buy for themselves. A float therapy gift card from Ōmni Space in Thảo Điền gives them an hour of real rest; a 60-minute float is 1,500,000 VND.
What should I bring to a Friendsgiving in Ho Chi Minh City?
A dish to share, and a small thank-you for the host. A card with a float gift inside is light to carry and easy to hand over at the end of the night.
How do I buy an Ōmni gift card?
On the gift card page, choose the value and pay by bank transfer, or buy at reception, where international cards are accepted. Buy a few days early, or message the team to learn how to receive the card.
Is there anything for Thanksgiving in Saigon besides cooking at home?
Yes. Many Western restaurants in Thảo Điền offer a holiday menu around Thanksgiving; book ahead, as tables fill quickly.
Written by the team at Ōmni Space – Float Saigon in Thảo Điền. Prices checked on 3 November 2026.
Sources
- Kjellgren A, Westman J (2014). Beneficial effects of treatment with sensory isolation in flotation-tank as a preventive health-care intervention: a randomized controlled pilot trial. BMC Complementary and Alternative Medicine 14: 417.
- Feinstein JS et al. (2018). Examining the short-term anxiolytic and antidepressant effect of Floatation-REST. PLoS One 13(2): e0190292.
- Hilpert K, Chis Ster I (2025). Experiences and perceptions of regular floatation-REST users: results from an online survey. Journal of Clinical Images and Medical Case Reports 6(5): 3600.