Guangzhou, then Ho Chi Minh City, then Shanghai, and home. This is the cheapest 12-day plan found, with no overnight flights or long airport waits. A 14-day version with 4 days in Shanghai is also listed. You won't need the Guangzhou → Shanghai train. Every other option researched is listed further down.
Kathmandu→Guangzhou→Ho Chi Minh City→Shanghai→Kathmandu
All flights, per person
NPR 1,00,224
about $654
Trip length
12 days
China 6 · Vietnam 6
Longest airport wait
1h 55m
Kunming, on the way home
Plans compared
–
from 5 booking sites
Recommended itinerary
Prices per person, economy, converted at 1 USD = 153.15 NPR.
Sun, Oct 25NPR 31,000
Kathmandu 11:45 PM → Guangzhou 5:55 AM+1
Kathmandu → Guangzhou, likely Nepal Airlines (fare you found)
Nonstop~4hConfirm airline and that it's one-way
Guangzhou· Oct 26 – 29
Thu, Oct 29NPR 15,315$100
Guangzhou 4:05 PM → Ho Chi Minh City 5:55 PM
Spring Airlines · CAN → SGN
Nonstop2h 50mBudget airline, no checked bag
Vietnam· Oct 29 – Nov 4
Wed, Nov 4NPR 16,693$109
Ho Chi Minh City 1:55 PM → Shanghai Pudong 7:00 PM
Spring Airlines · SGN → PVG
Nonstop4h 05mBudget airline, no checked bag
Shanghai· Nov 4 – 6
Fri, Nov 6NPR 37,215$243
Shanghai Pudong 8:30 AM → Kathmandu 3:05 PM
China Eastern · PVG → KMG → KTM
1 stop · Kunming1h 55m wait8h 50m totalCheck bag allowance
Total, all 4 flights, per person
≈ NPR 1,00,224
31,000 + 15,315 + 16,693 + 37,215
14-day version: 4 days in Shanghai
Same flights, but fly home on Sun, Nov 8: China Eastern, Shanghai 8:30 AM → Kathmandu 3:05 PM via Kunming (1h 55m wait), $235 · NPR 35,990. Total ≈ NPR 98,999, about NPR 1,225 less than the 12-day plan. Trip Oct 25 – Nov 8, with Shanghai Nov 4 – 8.
All plans compared
Every route combination researched, per person, Kathmandu back to Kathmandu. Plans that go Guangzhou → Shanghai first also need the bullet train (NPR ~20,522, added to the total).
Plan
Flights
Waiting
Total (NPR)
Fares by leg
Every one-way and round-trip fare checked, per person in economy. Tap a leg to expand it.
Price by booking site
Same flights, different sites. The cheapest site for each flight is highlighted.
Flight
Google Flights
Skyscanner
Kiwi.com
Trip.com
Airline site
Trip.com didn't list Spring Airlines or VietJet on these routes, so its prices are for full-service airlines only. Nepal Airlines didn't appear on Guangzhou → Kathmandu on any site.
Bullet train, Guangzhou → Shanghai
Only needed for the plans that go Guangzhou → Shanghai first. Trip.com, Oct 29 advance reservations (tickets not yet on sale).
Train
Route
Duration
Price
G248 high-speed
Guangzhounan 8:27 AM → Shanghai Hongqiao 3:03 PM
6h 36m
$141 · NPR ~21,600
G-train high-speed
Guangzhou 9:00 AM → Shanghainan 5:20 PM
8h 20m
$140 · NPR ~21,400
G-train high-speed
Guangzhou 11:50 AM → Shanghai Hongqiao 7:25 PM
7h 35m
$134 · NPR ~20,500
K-train (slow, overnight)
Guangzhou Baiyun → Shanghai Songjiang
19–23h
$28–30 · NPR ~4,400
Before booking
Visas
China, double-entry: most plans enter China twice. The plans that fly home straight from Vietnam only need single entry.
Vietnam e-visa: likely needed.
Bags
Spring Airlines and VietJet fares have no checked bag.
On Kiwi.com, China Eastern fares showed no checked bag. China Southern showed one included.
Where to book
Spring Airlines: en.ch.com or Skyscanner (same price)
China Eastern: Skyscanner ($243 on Nov 6, $235 on Nov 8) or Kiwi.com
China Southern: Google Flights links to China Southern's own site
Train, if needed: Trip.com or 12306
Good to know
Shanghai flights use Pudong (PVG), about 1h from the city centre. Trains arrive at Hongqiao.
No nonstop flights exist from Vietnam to Kathmandu.
China Southern's $486 round trip needs the 7:20 PM return. The 8:20 AM return costs $532.
Fares change daily. These prices were checked on Oct 2, 2026 on Google Flights, Skyscanner, Kiwi.com, Trip.com, and the airlines' own sites. Prices are for 1 adult in economy and exclude checked bags unless noted.