Everest Base Camp Trek Cost from Vietnam: Prices in VND, Flights and Visa

Last updated 4 October 2026. Trek prices are read from our own booking system. Dong figures use a rate of 1 US dollar = 25,950 Vietnamese dong, a rounding of the 4 October 2026 rate on Exchange Rate API (25,939.86) and the 3 October rate on a free currency data set published on jsDelivr (26,002.64). The European Central Bank data that I used for other countries has no Vietnamese dong, so I could not use it here. The dong moves from day to day, so every dong figure below is an approximation and the US dollar is the price you actually pay. Flight prices are snapshots from one day, and I say so wherever they appear.

If you are planning from Hanoi or Ho Chi Minh City, the first question is what Everest Base Camp will really cost door to door, in dong. The honest answer has three parts. The trek price I can give you to the dollar: US$1,399 on Budget, US$2,499 on Standard and US$4,999 on Luxury, about 36.3 million, 64.8 million and 129.7 million dong. The flight I can only show you a snapshot of. In my search there was no nonstop from either city, and the cheapest return fare was US$788 from Hanoi (about 20.4 million dong, through Delhi) and US$789 from Ho Chi Minh City (about 20.5 million dong, through Chengdu), both with a very long wait between flights. We bill in US dollars, so every dong figure is a conversion.

This page is about one trek only, Everest Base Camp, with the arithmetic done in full: the fares I found, the visa question I could only half answer, the permits, the time difference, and the holidays on both sides that touch the trekking season. We already have a wider guide to trekking in Nepal from Vietnam, and you can read it here. I wrote this page because Everest Base Camp deserves its own numbers. If you want the same sums for another country, we have written them for Taiwan, Thailand, Singapore, Japan, South Korea, Malaysia, the Philippines, the UK and Finland too.

If you want me directly, my WhatsApp is +977 9810351300. I answer it myself. Nepal is on UTC+5:45 and Vietnam on UTC+7, so Nepal is 1 hour 15 minutes behind Vietnam all year. According to Wikipedia, Vietnam does not change its clocks, and Nepal has a single standard time. A message you send at 9 am in Hanoi arrives at 7:45 am in Kathmandu, and I will usually reply within your working day.

Is there a direct flight from Vietnam to Kathmandu?

Not in my search. On 4 October 2026 I ran live searches on Kiwi.com from Hanoi (HAN) and from Ho Chi Minh City (SGN) to Kathmandu, with a cabin bag and a checked bag, on a single ticket (no self-transfer). I tried a return leaving 19 October and coming back on 5 November, then one-way searches from Vietnam on 19 to 30 October and one-way from Kathmandu on 3 to 8 November, each limited to nonstop flights. All four nonstop searches returned nothing. So the question for a Vietnamese trekker is not whether to change planes, but where, and how long you wait.

I then ran the return search on the same dates, allowing one change of plane in each direction, with a personal item, a cabin bag and one checked bag, on a single ticket. Each city returned 15 itineraries. From Hanoi the fares ran from US$788 to US$965, and from Ho Chi Minh City from US$789 to US$1,170. The cheapest from Hanoi go through Delhi and Guangzhou. From Ho Chi Minh City they go through Chengdu, Delhi, Bangkok, Kunming and Guangzhou. I also ran a second search limited to changes in Bangkok, Kuala Lumpur or Singapore, because those are the hubs a Vietnamese traveller would think of first. They cost more, as the table shows. I saw no Vietjet or Nepal Airlines fare on either search, and Vietnam Airlines appeared only once, on the first leg from Ho Chi Minh City to Bangkok. I ran the first search twice on 4 October and the lowest Hanoi fare was not the same both times, which is a good example of how much these fares move. Look at the table before you book, and look again on the day.

What did the flights actually cost on one day?

This is where travel pages invent numbers, so here is exactly what I saw on Kiwi.com on 4 October 2026, in US dollars, return, one adult, a cabin bag and one checked bag included, no self-transfer, leaving on 19 October and returning from Kathmandu on 5 November. The hours are the total of both directions, waiting time included. Kiwi.com did not state baggage weights, so confirm them on the airline's own page before you pay.

Route and airlines	Return fare	Notes
Hanoi: Air India both ways via Delhi (the cheapest from Hanoi)	US$788 (about 20.4 million dong)	Out on AI2391, Hanoi 08:20 on 19 October, Delhi 11:35; AI215 at 04:30 on 20 October, Kathmandu 06:35, which is about 17 hours waiting in Delhi. Home on AI212, Kathmandu 21:40 on 5 November, Delhi 23:25; AI2390 at 01:00, Hanoi 07:00 on 6 November. About 31 hours 35 minutes in total. The same US$788 fare with the second leg on AI213 at 07:00 lands in Kathmandu at 09:05
Hanoi: Air India both ways via Delhi, same-day arrival	US$859 (about 22.3 million dong)	Same first flight; AI211 at 18:15, Kathmandu 20:10 on 19 October, the day you leave. Home as above. About 21 hours 10 minutes in total. US$71 more than the cheapest (about 1.8 million dong)
Hanoi: China Southern both ways via Guangzhou	US$891 (about 23.1 million dong)	Out on CZ8178, Hanoi 19:45 on 19 October, Guangzhou 22:45; CZ6067 at 08:40, Kathmandu 11:30 on 20 October. Home on CZ6068, Kathmandu 12:30 on 5 November, Guangzhou 19:00; CZ371 at 22:05, Hanoi 23:15 the same day. About 26 hours 30 minutes in total
Hanoi: Thai Airways both ways via Bangkok (second search)	US$1,200 (about 31.1 million dong)	Out on TG565, Hanoi 20:45 on 19 October, Bangkok 22:35; TG319 at 10:15 on 20 October, Kathmandu 12:25. Home on TG310, Kathmandu 00:25 on 5 November, Bangkok 05:10; TG560 at 07:45, Hanoi 09:35. About 24 hours 50 minutes in total. A same-day arrival version (Kathmandu 23:25 on 19 October) was US$1,539 (about 39.9 million dong)
Ho Chi Minh City: Sichuan Airlines both ways via Chengdu (the cheapest from Ho Chi Minh City)	US$789 (about 20.5 million dong)	Out on 3U3904, Ho Chi Minh City 07:50 on 19 October, Chengdu 12:25; 3U3901 at 09:05 on 20 October, Kathmandu 10:30, which is about 20 hours 40 minutes waiting in Chengdu. Home on 3U3902, Kathmandu 11:45 on 5 November, Chengdu 17:15; 3U3903 at 20:30, Ho Chi Minh City 23:15. About 38 hours 10 minutes in total
Ho Chi Minh City: Air India both ways via Delhi	US$833 (about 21.6 million dong)	Out on AI2389, Ho Chi Minh City 20:55 on 19 October, Delhi 00:45; AI213 at 07:00, Kathmandu 09:05 on 20 October. Home on AI224, Kathmandu 06:30, Delhi 08:15; AI2388 at 13:20, Ho Chi Minh City 20:00 the same day. About 25 hours 40 minutes in total, with about 6 hours 15 minutes waiting in Delhi on the way out
Ho Chi Minh City: other ways home on a similar outbound	US$867 to US$997 (about 22.5 to 25.9 million dong)	Same Air India outbound. US$867 comes home on Air India via Delhi; US$876 on Sichuan Airlines via Chengdu; US$888 on Thai Airways via Bangkok (about 21 hours in total); US$920 on China Eastern via Kunming (about 36 hours); US$946 and US$997 on China Southern via Guangzhou. The fastest of the 15 results took about 18 hours 30 minutes in total, at US$1,112 (about 28.9 million dong)
Ho Chi Minh City: Thai Airways both ways via Bangkok (second search)	US$1,153 (about 29.9 million dong)	Out on TG557, Ho Chi Minh City 20:10 on 19 October, Bangkok 21:35; TG319 at 10:15 on 20 October, Kathmandu 12:25. Home on TG310, Kathmandu 00:25 on 5 November; TG550 from Bangkok at 07:45, Ho Chi Minh City 09:15. About 25 hours in total
Ho Chi Minh City: Malaysia Airlines both ways via Kuala Lumpur (second search)	US$1,410 (about 36.6 million dong)	Out on MH751, Ho Chi Minh City 11:00 on 19 October, Kuala Lumpur 13:55; MH114 at 19:15, Kathmandu 21:45 the same day. Home on MH115, Kathmandu 22:45 on 5 November, Kuala Lumpur 05:45; MH750 at 09:10, Ho Chi Minh City 10:15. About 22 hours 15 minutes in total. One bag only was shown with no personal item, so check what is included
Ho Chi Minh City: Singapore Airlines out via Singapore, Thai Airways home via Bangkok (second search)	US$1,455 (about 37.8 million dong)	Out on SQ8537 (as Kiwi.com lists it), Ho Chi Minh City 09:15 on 19 October, Singapore 12:20; SQ442 at 18:50, Kathmandu 21:30 the same day. Home through Bangkok as in the row above. About 21 hours in total. A later morning departure (SQ177 at 12:20) was US$1,484
Ho Chi Minh City: Vietnam Airlines to Bangkok, Thai Airways on to Kathmandu (second search)	US$1,547 (about 40.1 million dong)	Out on VN609, Ho Chi Minh City 18:20 on 19 October, Bangkok 20:00; TG309 at 21:15, Kathmandu 23:25 the same day. Home on Thai Airways via Bangkok, Kathmandu 00:25 on 5 November, Ho Chi Minh City 09:15. About 13 hours 55 minutes in total, the shortest I saw

Look at what the numbers say. The cheapest fares are about US$320 to US$412 cheaper than the same trip through Bangkok (US$788 against US$1,200 from Hanoi, US$833 against US$1,153 from Ho Chi Minh City), which is about 8.3 to 10.7 million dong. The price of that saving is a long, awkward wait on the way out: about 17 hours in Delhi from Hanoi on the cheapest fare, and about 20 hours 40 minutes in Chengdu from Ho Chi Minh City on the cheapest one there. If your leave is short, the Hanoi fare that lands in Kathmandu on the evening you leave (US$859, only US$71 more) is the one I would look at first. From Ho Chi Minh City the Vietnam Airlines and Thai Airways itinerary at US$1,547 is the quickest I saw, though it costs US$758 more than the cheapest, and the Air India fare at US$833 is the one that keeps the wait to about six hours. If you have the days to spare, the cheapest fare saves you the money, and the totals below come down by that amount.

Each route has its own small costs. The cheapest Hanoi fare waits about 17 hours in Delhi, and the cheapest Ho Chi Minh City fare about 20 hours 40 minutes in Chengdu. I have not read the transit rules for a Vietnamese passport in Delhi or Chengdu, so I cannot tell you whether you may stay in the transit area or need a visa for India or China, and I could not confirm it. The same goes for Bangkok, Guangzhou, Kunming, Kuala Lumpur and Singapore. Ask the airline before you choose, especially for a change of plane in mainland China. Several of these fares arrive late in the evening, at night or before dawn (Kathmandu 06:35, 20:10, 21:30, 21:45 or 23:25), so someone has to meet you and your Kathmandu hotel must be booked for that night. Our team can arrange the pick-up. The home flights leave Kathmandu between 00:25 and 22:45, so ask your hotel for a late check-out on the last day. 19 and 20 October are also inside the Dashain holiday, which is covered below.

How much does a trek package to Everest Base Camp cost?

A 12-day Everest Base Camp trek package with us costs US$1,399 on Budget, US$2,499 on Standard and US$4,999 on Luxury, per person, which is about 36.3 million, 64.8 million and 129.7 million dong at 25,950 dong to the dollar. It includes a licensed guide, all permits, transport to and from Lukla and the teahouse nights. It does not include your flight to Nepal, the visa, insurance, tips or your Kathmandu hotel. These prices come straight out of our booking system. They are the same for 2026 and 2027 departures, and the same whether you go privately or in a group.

Everest Base Camp, 12 days	USD per person	Dong, approximate
Budget	US$1,399	about 36.3 million dong
Standard	US$2,499	about 64.8 million dong
Luxury	US$4,999	about 129.7 million dong

The difference between the tiers is not marketing, and I want you to be able to check it. On Budget you carry your own bag, rooms are shared and meals are not included. On Standard you get a porter shared between two trekkers, all meals and a private room. On Luxury you get your own dedicated porter, a private deluxe ensuite room, all meals with fruit, nuts and unlimited soft drinks, and the Lukla legs by helicopter both ways instead of a fixed-wing flight.

What is inside every tier: a licensed guide, the permits, airport pickup and drop-off in Kathmandu, the flights to and from Lukla on the fixed-wing tiers, the teahouse nights, a first aid kit and pulse oximeter, and a farewell dinner. What is outside every tier: your flight to Nepal, the visa, travel insurance, tips, your Kathmandu hotel and anything you buy on the trail. Kathmandu hotels are quoted separately, though you can stay in our own family homestay at US$15 per person per night (about 389,000 dong), which helps fund the learning centre my family runs.

Our cost guide's rule of thumb is that a trek far below US$1,200 (about 31.1 million dong) is paying its guide badly, skipping a permit or leaving out the flight, so ask any company what is in its price. The Lukla flights are a large part of a Budget price. A Kathmandu to Lukla ticket is about US$253 one way and about US$506 return, according to our own domestic flights guide, so a good part of US$1,399 is simply getting you to the trail and back. The full day-by-day route is on the Everest Base Camp Trek 12 Days page, our day-by-day itinerary guide gives the altitudes and walking times, and our Everest Base Camp cost guide has every line of the price.

If you want to skip the Lukla flight, or worry about it, there is one honest alternative. A shared helicopter seat from Kathmandu to Lukla is about US$640 per person (about 16.6 million dong), and about US$710 from Lukla back to Kathmandu (about 18.4 million dong), including government tax, bank charges and the fuel supplement. Luxury includes the helicopter both ways. Helicopter seats are shared and depend on availability and weather on the day, and the prices are a guide. The flights guide above has the full detail, and our guide to the helicopter return explains when it makes sense.

Kathmandu to Lukla and back	Price
Fixed-wing flight, one way (included on Budget and Standard)	about US$253, 6.6 million dong
Fixed-wing flight, return (included on Budget and Standard)	about US$506, 13.1 million dong
Shared helicopter seat, Kathmandu to Lukla	about US$640, 16.6 million dong
Shared helicopter seat, Lukla to Kathmandu	about US$710, 18.4 million dong
Both helicopter legs bought separately (my sum)	about US$1,350, 35.0 million dong
Helicopter both ways (included on Luxury)	included

Do you need a guide, and what does a porter cost?

Every trek we run includes a licensed guide, and I would not walk this route without one. A licensed guide and agency-issued TIMS card are required on most trekking routes under the Nepal Tourism Board rule from 31 March 2023; the Everest (Khumbu) region does not enforce it locally, but we always trek with a licensed guide. A guide is also your safety: ours carry a first aid kit and a pulse oximeter. Our own guide to trekking without one explains the situation, and the Nepal Tourism Board is the place to confirm the current position before you plan anything alone.

The porter question is where the three tiers differ most. On Budget there is no porter and you carry your own bag. On Standard there is one porter for every two trekkers, carrying about 20 kg between you, so pack to about 10 kg in the duffel and keep a daypack. On Luxury you have a dedicated porter of your own. If you travel solo on Standard there is no porter, because porters are shared one to two, and your guide carries up to 10 kg of your gear instead. On Luxury a solo trekker still has a dedicated porter. If you want an extra porter on any tier, it is US$25 a day (about 649,000 dong), with 13 per cent VAT and a 3.5 per cent bank charge on top, so ask us for the exact figure for your dates. If you are travelling alone, our guide to the solo cost and the single supplement works through that case.

How much luggage can you take to Lukla?

Less than you think. On the mountain flights the allowance is about 10 kg checked plus 5 kg hand carry, and every airline sets its own limit, so your ticket is the final word. Excess is paid by the kilo at the airport, and our flights guide says no airline publishes a Lukla excess rate. If the aircraft is at its weight limit, the extra bag flies later, so pack as if your duffel might arrive a day behind you. Camera and drone batteries count towards your hand carry. Lukla sits at 2,860 metres, on a short mountain runway, and the plane is small. What you do not need on the trail stays at a Kathmandu hotel in Thamel, which we arrange. This matters because the large bag you check from Hanoi or Ho Chi Minh City is not the bag you take on the Lukla plane.

What permits do you need, and are they included?

The Khumbu is not a restricted area, so there is no special trekking permit. You need three things, and we arrange and pay for all of them in every tier:

• Sagarmatha National Park entry: NPR 3,000 for foreigners.
• Khumbu Pasang Lhamu Rural Municipality fee: NPR 3,000.
• TIMS card: NPR 2,000.

That is NPR 8,000 in total, about US$52 at 154 rupees to the dollar (Exchange Rate API, 4 October 2026), roughly 1.35 million dong. None of it is added to your bill. I read the park and TIMS figures on the Nepal Tourism Board's own pages. The municipality fee was raised from NPR 2,000 to NPR 3,000 in September 2024, and I have no primary web page for it; it is collected on the trail, and our guides pay it for you.

You will see lower totals elsewhere. Some pages quote the permits at US$45 to US$60 and some say the TIMS card is no longer needed. We arrange TIMS for every trekker. It is run jointly by the Nepal Tourism Board and the Trekking Agencies' Association of Nepal, and its purpose is to record who is on the trail in case of an accident or a natural disaster. Our permits guide covers the rest, and our Everest permits and fees page is the one to read for this route.

Do Vietnamese passport holders need a visa for Nepal?

Yes, a tourist visa, but I have to be careful about what I can prove. I read the Nepal Department of Immigration's own pages on 4 October 2026. They say that all passport holders other than twelve listed countries can get a visa on arrival at Tribhuvan airport and at other designated entry points, and that you can also apply online beforehand. Vietnam is not one of the twelve (Afghanistan, Cameroon, Swaziland, Ethiopia, Ghana, Iraq, Liberia, Nigeria, Palestine, Somalia, Syria and Zimbabwe). The fees the Department publishes are US$30 for 15 days, US$50 for 30 days and US$125 for 90 days. That is about 778,000 dong, 1.30 million dong and 3.24 million dong.

Here is the part I could not confirm. The Department's visa exemption page names Vietnam only for holders of diplomatic and official or service passports, who are exempt for up to 90 days. It does not mention the ordinary Vietnamese passport anywhere on the pages I read, so I cannot show you the Department's own words about your passport, and I could not find a Vietnamese government page on the subject. My reading is that a visa on arrival or an online visa applies to you, but it is a reading, not a quote. Wikipedia's page on the visa policy of Nepal says the same in general terms and does not name Vietnam either.

My advice, from those pages: apply online before you fly, using the Department's portal, rather than hoping to sort it out at the desk. An online application asks for a recent photo on a white background, a scan of your passport and payment by card in US dollars. Print the approval. Your passport must be valid for at least six months, the maximum tourist stay is 150 days in a calendar year, and almost every Everest trekker needs 30 days, so budget US$50. Carry some US dollars in cash in case you pay at the airport. Because the Department's pages do not name the ordinary Vietnamese passport, ask it to confirm in writing how it treats yours, and keep the reply with your papers. Our e-visa guide and our visa on arrival guide walk through both routes.

One more note, on money. I have not read Vietnam's rules on taking foreign currency out of the country, or Nepal's declaration limit for cash you bring in, so I will not quote a figure for either. A Luxury balance in cash after the 10 per cent deposit is about US$4,499 on its own, so for large sums pay the balance by card, or ask us how to split it. If you pay by card, ask your bank what its limit is for international card payments, because only your bank can see it.

Will your Vietnamese health insurance cover you in Nepal?

I have not checked what Vietnam's social health insurance or any employer plan pays for treatment abroad, and I am not going to guess. What I can say is general: no ordinary insurance you hold at home should be assumed to pay for a helicopter rescue from the mountains or to bring you home from Nepal. Ask your insurer, and get the answer in writing.

So you need a policy that is written for trekking, and you need to read it. A standard holiday policy is usually written for ordinary holidays, not for a 12-day trek to 5,000 metres, so do not assume it applies. I have not read any Vietnamese insurer's policy terms or prices, so I cannot tell you which policy is good. Ask the question and ask it in writing.

What I would ask for in writing before you buy: cover for trekking to at least 6,000 metres, which gives a margin above the highest point on this trek, and helicopter evacuation for illness as well as accident. Altitude sickness is an illness, and a policy that pays only for accidents will not lift you off the mountain. Get the answer in an email from the insurer, and buy the policy at home before you fly. For scale, our cost guide puts a helicopter evacuation from Base Camp to Kathmandu at US$3,000 to US$5,000, about 77.9 million to 129.8 million dong. Our insurance guide goes through what to look for.

Our cost guide gives three bands for two to three weeks: basic trekking cover up to 6,000 metres at US$50 to US$100, full travel plus trekking cover at US$100 to US$180, and premium cover with trip cancellation at US$150 to US$250. That is roughly 1.3 to 2.6 million dong, 2.6 to 4.7 million dong and 3.9 to 6.5 million dong. We check your policy before departure, and without one you cannot trek. Buy it at home, not in Nepal, and confirm in writing that it covers trekking above 5,000 metres and helicopter evacuation, because some ordinary travel policies exclude both. The question of what a policy pays for a helicopter is covered at more length in our guide to insurance with helicopter cover.

What will you spend on the trail?

On Budget, where meals are not included, our cost guide says to add roughly US$25 to US$40 a day for meals, so US$300 to US$480 across twelve days, or roughly 7.8 to 12.5 million dong. That is before showers, charging and wifi. On Standard and Luxury every meal is already paid for, so the money you carry goes much further. Prices rise with altitude because everything is carried up on a porter's back or by yak. These are the ranges from our own price list for the Everest trail, in Nepali rupees with dollars in brackets:

Item	Lukla to Namche	Namche to Dingboche	Above Dingboche
Dal bhat (rice and lentils, refills)	NPR 500 to 600 (US$4 to 5)	NPR 600 to 800 (US$5 to 6)	NPR 800 to 1,000 (US$6 to 8)
Pizza or pasta	NPR 600 to 700 (US$5 to 6)	NPR 700 to 900 (US$6 to 7)	NPR 900 to 1,200 (US$7 to 10)
Fried rice or noodles	NPR 400 to 500 (US$3 to 4)	NPR 500 to 700 (US$4 to 6)	NPR 700 to 900 (US$6 to 7)
Tea or coffee	NPR 80 to 100 (US$0.60 to 0.80)	NPR 100 to 150 (US$0.80 to 1.20)	NPR 150 to 250 (US$1.20 to 2)
Bottled water, 1 litre	NPR 150 to 200 (US$1.20 to 1.50)	NPR 200 to 300 (US$1.50 to 2.50)	NPR 300 to 500 (US$2.50 to 4)
Chocolate bar	NPR 150 to 200 (US$1.20 to 1.50)	NPR 200 to 300 (US$1.50 to 2.50)	NPR 300 to 400 (US$2.50 to 3)

Then the extras that surprise people: wifi, charging, hot showers and laundry. These are charged per use, and they jump above Namche:

Item	Lukla to Namche	Above Namche
Wifi, per device	NPR 200 to 300 (US$1.50 to 2.50)	NPR 300 to 500 (US$2.50 to 4)
Phone charging	free to NPR 200	NPR 200 to 500 (US$1.50 to 4)
Hot shower	NPR 200 to 300 (US$1.50 to 2.50)	NPR 300 to 500 or more (US$2.50 to 4 or more)
Laundry, per kilo	NPR 300 to 500 (US$2.50 to 4)	not available

A tip from our cost guide: buy an Everest Link wifi card in Namche for NPR 500 to 1,000. It works at most teahouses from Namche to Gorak Shep and is faster than teahouse wifi. A 20,000 mAh power bank saves roughly US$20 to US$30 in charging fees over the trek. A day at the top of the route with a shower, one charge, a litre of water and one wifi session comes to NPR 1,100 to 2,000, about US$7 to US$13, or about 185,000 to 337,000 dong. That is my own sum of the ranges above. Dal bhat is the best value on any teahouse menu, and our dal bhat guide explains why every guide in Nepal eats it twice a day.

Cash matters. Our cost guide says the only cash machines on the route are in Namche and they are often empty, so bring your trail money from Kathmandu. For Standard or Luxury, where meals are included, it suggests about NPR 20,000 to 30,000 (US$130 to US$195 at today's rate, or about 3.4 to 5.1 million dong) for showers, charging, wifi, snacks and tips over the twelve days. On Budget, add the daily food money to that. Remember that Nepali rupees are for you to spend on the trail; we bill foreign clients in US dollars only.

Tipping is customary and is not included in any price. Our cost guide's suggested figures are US$15 to US$20 a day for the lead guide, US$180 to US$240 over twelve days (about 4.7 to 6.2 million dong), and US$10 to US$15 a day for a porter, US$120 to US$180 over twelve days (about 3.1 to 4.7 million dong). Together that is US$300 to US$420, about 7.8 to 10.9 million dong. Tips are usually given at the end of the trek in Kathmandu, in a sealed envelope, and a group pools them. Cash in rupees is preferred, but dollars are accepted. On Budget there is no porter, so a solo trekker is looking at the guide's share only.

What does gear cost, rent or buy?

Gear is smaller money than people fear. On every tier we provide a down jacket and a sleeping bag rated to minus 15 at no cost, and a duffel bag on Standard and Luxury, so the most expensive cold-weather items on a kit list are covered, and you may own few of them. That matters from Vietnam, where you are unlikely to own a down jacket. For everything else, here are the ranges from our cost guide. The "at home" prices are that guide's general figures, not Vietnamese shop prices, which I have not checked. Multiply the dollar figures by about 25,950 for dong.

Item	Rent in Kathmandu, per day	Buy in Kathmandu	Buy at home
Down jacket (we provide one free)	US$1 to 2	US$30 to 80	US$150 to 400
Sleeping bag, minus 15 (we provide one free)	US$1 to 2	US$40 to 100	US$200 to 500
Trekking poles, pair	US$1	US$10 to 25	US$50 to 150
Duffel bag, 65 litres	US$0.50 to 1	US$5 to 15	US$30 to 80
Fleece jacket	US$0.50 to 1	US$10 to 25	US$40 to 100
Waterproof jacket	US$1 to 2	US$25 to 60	US$100 to 300

Most of this table is a rental, so you do not need to buy a mountain wardrobe in Hanoi or Ho Chi Minh City. The one item I would buy at home and break in before you fly is your boots. Our cost guide has the full kit list.

What is the full cost from Vietnam?

One person, Budget tier, twelve days, on the cheapest return fare I found from each city: US$788 from Hanoi and US$789 from Ho Chi Minh City (out 19 October, back 5 November), a checked bag included. This table leaves out tips, insurance and trail extras:

Item	From Hanoi, USD	From Ho Chi Minh City, USD	Dong, approximate
Trek, Budget tier (permits included)	US$1,399	US$1,399	36.3 million
Return flight, snapshot, checked bag included (Delhi from Hanoi, Chengdu from Ho Chi Minh City)	US$788	US$789	20.4 million / 20.5 million
Nepal visa, 30 days	US$50	US$50	1.3 million
Food on the trail, US$25 to US$40 a day for twelve days	US$300 to US$480	US$300 to US$480	7.8 to 12.5 million
Total	about US$2,537 to US$2,717	about US$2,538 to US$2,718	about 65.8 to 70.5 million / 65.9 to 70.5 million

If you take Standard or Luxury, the same flight, visa and trek arithmetic comes to this, before tips, insurance, Kathmandu hotels and your own spending money:

Tier	Trek + flight + visa, from Hanoi	Trek + flight + visa, from Ho Chi Minh City
Budget (plus US$300 to US$480 for meals on the trail)	about US$2,237 (58.1 million dong)	about US$2,238 (58.1 million dong)
Standard (meals included)	about US$3,337 (86.6 million dong)	about US$3,338 (86.6 million dong)
Luxury (meals and helicopter included)	about US$5,837 (151.5 million dong)	about US$5,838 (151.5 million dong)

Three things sit outside those totals on purpose. Kathmandu hotels are quoted separately. Insurance is yours to buy, for the reasons above. And your spending money for the days either side of the trek is yours too. If you take the Hanoi fare that lands the same evening, US$859, instead of the cheapest, every Hanoi total above goes up by US$71, about 1.8 million dong. If you take the Air India fare from Ho Chi Minh City, US$833, instead of the cheapest, every Ho Chi Minh City total goes up by US$44, about 1.1 million dong.

How expensive is it to hike to Everest Base Camp?

From Hanoi, a solo trekker on our Budget tier should plan on about US$2,767 to US$3,137 (roughly 71.8 to 81.4 million dong) for the whole trip, before a Kathmandu hotel. From Ho Chi Minh City on the US$789 fare, add US$1. Of that, the trek is US$1,399, the flight US$788 on the autumn snapshot, and the rest is the visa, food on the trail, a tip for the guide and insurance. Standard comes to about US$3,567 to US$3,757 and Luxury about US$6,187 to US$6,437 from Hanoi, and showers, charging and wifi can add up to about US$150 (about 3.9 million dong) to any of them. The flight is the part that moves most. The table below shows every line.

What is the budget for a 12-day trek to Everest Base Camp?

The trek is twelve days, but you will be away from Vietnam for about nineteen days on the cheapest Hanoi fare. Here is the whole budget for one person travelling alone from Hanoi, with every line from a source above. Tips are the suggested figures from our cost guide, and insurance is the basic-to-full range from the same guide. Kathmandu hotels are not in it, because they are quoted separately. From Ho Chi Minh City on the US$789 fare, add US$1 to every column.

Line	Budget	Standard	Luxury
Trek, 12 days, permits included	US$1,399	US$2,499	US$4,999
Return flight Hanoi to Kathmandu, US$788 autumn snapshot	US$788	US$788	US$788
Nepal visa, 30 days	US$50	US$50	US$50
Meals on the trail	US$300 to US$480	included	included
Tips, suggested figures	US$180 to US$240 (guide only)	US$180 to US$240 (guide only, solo)	US$300 to US$420 (guide and dedicated porter)
Travel insurance	US$50 to US$180	US$50 to US$180	US$50 to US$180
Total, USD	about 2,767 to 3,137	about 3,567 to 3,757	about 6,187 to 6,437
Total, dong at 25,950	about 71.8 to 81.4 million	about 92.6 to 97.5 million	about 160.6 to 167.0 million
Showers, charging, wifi (not in the totals)	up to about US$150 more (3.9 million dong)	up to about US$150 more	up to about US$150 more

How the totals are built: Budget low is 1,399 + 788 + 50 + 300 + 180 + 50 = 2,767, and high is 1,399 + 788 + 50 + 480 + 240 + 180 = 3,137. Standard low is 2,499 + 788 + 50 + 180 + 50 = 3,567 and high 2,499 + 788 + 50 + 240 + 180 = 3,757. Luxury low is 4,999 + 788 + 50 + 300 + 50 = 6,187 and high 4,999 + 788 + 50 + 420 + 180 = 6,437. The extras line is my own sum: a shower, charging, a litre of water and wifi on a day at the top of the route cost NPR 1,100 to 2,000, about US$7 to 13, so US$150 is a safe ceiling for twelve days, and most days cost less. Solo Standard has no porter, so its tip is the guide's alone. Groups pay less per head than the table shows, because of the group prices below.

What can move the number. The flight can go either way by a few hundred dollars: the fares I saw on one day ranged from US$788 to US$965 from Hanoi and US$789 to US$1,170 from Ho Chi Minh City, and the Bangkok, Kuala Lumpur and Singapore fares went up to US$1,547. A cancelled Lukla flight adds Kathmandu nights or a helicopter seat. A card payment of the balance carries 3.5 per cent. None of those is in the totals, and the next section lists them.

What else costs money that no package price shows?

• Delays. A grounded Lukla flight means extra nights in Kathmandu, from US$15 a night (about 389,000 dong) at our family homestay, or a shared helicopter seat from Lukla to Kathmandu at about US$710 if you must be home on a date.
• Card charge and bank margin. Paying the balance by card carries 3.5 per cent. Your own bank or card issuer may add a currency margin on top when it converts dong to US dollars, so ask it.
• Laundry. About NPR 300 to 500 a kilo, and not available above Namche.
• Charging and wifi. Free to NPR 500 per charge depending on altitude, and a wifi card in Namche for NPR 500 to 1,000. A 20,000 mAh power bank saves about US$20 to US$30 of charging fees, according to our cost guide.
• An extra porter. Explained in the porter section above, with the taxes on top.
• Excess baggage on the Lukla flight. Our flights guide says no airline publishes a Lukla excess rate, so ask us for the current figure before you fly. It is paid by the kilo at the airport.
• A hotel on a long change of plane. The cheapest fares wait many hours between flights, about 17 hours in Delhi on the Hanoi fare and about 20 hours 40 minutes in Chengdu on the cheapest Ho Chi Minh City one. If you will not sleep at the airport, add a night, and check whether you may leave the transit area at all.
• A late-night arrival. Some of these fares land in Kathmandu after 20:00 or before 07:00, so book your Kathmandu hotel for the night you arrive, not the next.
• Closures. Government offices and many shops close during Dashain and Tihar, so sort cash and paperwork before the holiday starts.

Does it get cheaper as a group?

Yes, and only by group size. Here is the whole table from the live trek page, in US dollars. For dong, multiply by about 25,950.

Group size	Budget	Standard	Luxury
1 to 4 people	US$1,399	US$2,499	US$4,999
5 to 8 people	US$1,299	US$2,449	US$4,949
9 to 12 people	US$1,199	US$2,399	US$4,899
13 to 20 people	US$999	US$2,349	US$4,849

The price is the same whether you book privately or as a group, and we never add strangers to a private booking. Six friends from the same office or hiking club pay less each than six separate travellers would, simply because you are six. A group of five on Budget pays US$1,299 each (about 33.7 million dong), which is US$100 each (about 2.6 million dong) less than going alone. Solo trekkers are welcome, and there is no single supplement on Everest Base Camp because your guide joins you from Lukla.

How many days off do you need?

Take the cheapest Hanoi fare. You fly out on the morning of Monday 19 October (AI2391 at 08:20) and land back in Hanoi at 07:00 on Friday 6 November. The flying itself is about 31 hours 35 minutes in total, most of it a wait of about 17 hours in Delhi on the way out, and the trek is twelve days. If the trek starts the morning after you land in Kathmandu, that leaves about three spare days, 2 to 4 November, and the daytime of the 5th before the 21:40 flight home. Those spare days are not a luxury. The Lukla flight is weather dependent and delays are routine, and the best protection against a grounded flight is a buffer before your flight home. In the busy windows, roughly 15 March to 15 May and 25 September to 30 November by our working dates, fixed-wing flights to Lukla leave from Manthali rather than Kathmandu, which means a drive of four to five hours with a hotel pick-up between midnight and 2 am. Our Manthali guide has the detail. We tell every client this before they book. We confirm the road is open 48 hours before departure, and if it is not, we find an alternative. Helicopters are not affected.

Now the Vietnam side. If your working week is Monday to Friday, the working days you need on the cheapest Hanoi fare are Monday 19 to Friday 23 October (5, because you fly out in the morning), Monday 26 to Friday 30 October (5) and Monday 2 to Thursday 5 November (4), which is 14 days. If you land at 07:00 on Friday 6 November you may be able to go straight to work, but I would not plan on it. The cheapest fare from Ho Chi Minh City leaves at 07:50 on the 19th and lands back at 23:15 on the 5th, so it uses the same 14 working days. Next, the holidays. According to Wikipedia, Vietnam's public holidays fall on 1 January, Tet (the lunar new year, from the second last day of the last lunar month to the fifth day of the first), the Hung Kings commemoration (the 10th day of the 3rd lunar month, around April), 30 April, 1 May and 2 September, and workers have 13 days a year in all. None of those falls between 19 October and 5 November. That page asks for more citations, and I could not open a Vietnamese government page for the current rules, so check the official calendar before you ask for leave. I also did not read Vietnam's labour law on annual leave, so I am not quoting a number of leave days. Count your own leave balance against the weekdays above, and ask your employer to agree the dates in writing, well ahead.

One more small thing: time. Nepal is on UTC+5:45 all year and Vietnam on UTC+7, so Nepal is 1 hour 15 minutes behind. A 07:00 call from the trail is 08:15 in Hanoi or Ho Chi Minh City. That matters when you ring home.

Does Nepal close for Dashain and Tihar?

For government offices, yes, and trekkers rarely hear about it until they land. Nepal's government publishes its public holidays each year in the Nepal Gazette (Nepal Rajpatra). The Ministry of Home Affairs notice for the year 2083, dated 18 Falgun 2082, says:

• Ghatasthapana, the first day of Dashain, is on Asoj 25, a Sunday, which is 11 October 2026.
• The Dashain holiday runs from Asoj 31 (Saturday) to Kartik 6 (Friday), which is 17 to 23 October 2026.
• The Tihar holiday runs from Kartik 22 (Sunday) to Kartik 26 (Thursday), which is 8 to 12 November 2026.
• Chhath is on Kartik 29, a Sunday, which is 15 November 2026.

The notice gives the dates in the Nepali calendar. I converted them to the Western calendar myself, using the Saturdays the same notice lists (Asoj 31 is a Saturday, and 17 October 2026 is a Saturday), so the match is consistent. The example flights above land in Kathmandu on 19 or 20 October, inside the Dashain holiday. Government offices and many shops are closed. This is not a reason to avoid October, which is the best month for views, but it is a reason to tell us your dates early so permits and paperwork are sorted before the closures. The 2027 dates will be in the notice for the year 2084, which has not been published yet.

When should you go, autumn or spring?

October is the most reliable month and the busiest. Mid-November into early December is cold at night, very clear and much quieter. March and April are warmer, with the rhododendrons in flower, and are the second busiest season. For a Vietnamese calendar, spring has a catch: Tet falls around late January to early February, so it comes before the season, but the 30 April and 1 May holidays fall at the end of it, and I did not check the 2027 dates or how the days off are arranged. June to mid-September is the monsoon and I will talk you out of it. Late October can bring the tail of a Bay of Bengal cyclone, so build a spare day into your flights home. Our month-by-month guide goes deeper.

Is Everest Base Camp hard, and how do you prepare?

We grade Everest Base Camp Strenuous. If you can walk five to seven hours a day on consecutive days, you have the fitness for it. Vietnam has good places to train on foot, and a Fansipan climb gives you a feel for long days uphill. What it cannot give you is the air. According to Wikipedia, Fansipan, in Lao Cai province, is the highest mountain in Vietnam and on the Indochinese peninsula, measured at 3,143 metres in 1909 and since adjusted to 3,147.3 metres. Everest Base Camp on the Nepal side is 5,364 metres, about 2,217 metres higher than the top of Fansipan and about 1.7 times its height, and Everest itself is 8,848.86 metres, about 2.8 times higher. So you will spend days sleeping higher than the highest point you have ever walked in Vietnam. That is a reason to walk slowly and take the acclimatisation days seriously, not a reason to stay home. Our guide to an acclimatisation day shows what those days look like, and our altitude profile shows where trekkers struggle.

Fitness does not protect you from altitude, and I say that to every strong hiker who writes to me. A very fit trekker can get altitude sickness while a slower walker does not. Our guides carry an oximeter, not bottled oxygen. If you want a canister available we can arrange it at cost, and I will tell you honestly that most trekkers who walk slowly and listen to their guide never need it. Our fitness guide shows what the days really demand.

Can a beginner do the Everest Base Camp trek?

Yes, if you are healthy and can walk five to seven hours a day on consecutive days. The route needs no ropes, crampons or climbing skill. What stops people is altitude, not technique. That is why the itinerary has acclimatisation days and why I tell beginners to walk slowly, drink water and tell the guide about every headache. Our guides carry an oximeter, so they can check you instead of guessing.

For a first big trek, my suggestion is to spend the two months before you fly on long walks with a loaded pack, on back-to-back days, and on stairs or hill paths. If you live in a city flat, stairs and a weighted daypack do the job. See your doctor first if you have a heart, lung or blood-pressure condition. Insurance matters more for a beginner, not less, for the reasons in the insurance section above. And if you come from a warm, humid climate, expect to feel the cold: the nights are cold, and that is why we provide the down jacket and sleeping bag.

How does Everest compare with Fansipan?

The comparison I can source is a measuring one, so I will not dress it up as more. Wikipedia gives Fansipan as 3,147.3 metres, the highest mountain in Vietnam, and Everest as 8,848.86 metres after the 2020 survey by Nepali and Chinese authorities, a difference of about 5,702 metres. A Base Camp trek is a different undertaking from climbing Everest, and I will not pretend it is the same. You can fly in, and we will carry your bag if you pay for a porter. But it walks into the shadow of a mountain nearly three times as high as anything in Vietnam, and for many hikers who have climbed Fansipan that is reason enough.

From our guides: what a price list will not tell you

A price list is the easy part. Here is what this page adds for a trekker from Vietnam, and what we know first-hand.

• There was no nonstop in my search. On 4 October every nonstop-only search between Vietnam and Kathmandu, both from Hanoi and from Ho Chi Minh City and in both directions, returned nothing. The lowest return fares were US$788 from Hanoi through Delhi and US$789 from Ho Chi Minh City through Chengdu.
• The cheap fares come with long waits, the quick ones go through Bangkok. The Bangkok, Kuala Lumpur and Singapore fares I found cost US$1,153 to US$1,547 and the shortest took about 13 hours 55 minutes in total. I could not confirm the transit rules for a Vietnamese passport at any of those airports.
• Two bag limits, not one. You can check a full bag from Vietnam, but the mountain flights allow about 10 kg checked plus 5 kg hand carry, and the extra goes on a later flight if the aircraft is full. Pack for the small plane, not the big one, and leave the rest at a Thamel hotel, which we arrange.
• The real journey time. The cheapest fares take about 31 hours 35 minutes (Hanoi) and 38 hours 10 minutes (Ho Chi Minh City) in total across both directions, and much of that is a day-long wait in a Delhi or Chengdu airport. The Air India fare from Ho Chi Minh City takes about 25 hours 40 minutes. That changes how many days off you ask for.
• The arrival day. The cheapest Hanoi fare lands in Kathmandu at 06:35 on 20 October, the cheapest from Ho Chi Minh City at 10:30, and the quicker Hanoi fare at 20:10 on 19 October. Tell your hotel or us in advance so someone is waiting.
• The road to Manthali. In the busy windows, fixed-wing Lukla flights leave from Manthali, a four to five hour drive with a hotel pick-up between midnight and 2 am. We tell every client before they book and confirm the road is open 48 hours before departure.
• Trail costs by altitude, summed. A day at the top of the route with a shower, charging, a litre of water and wifi costs NPR 1,100 to 2,000 (US$7 to 13) from the ranges in our price list, and the total is in the budget table. Few pages add it up.
• Dates, from the Gazette. Your flight lands inside the Dashain holiday, which runs 17 to 23 October 2026. Guides rarely mention it.
• Permits from the official figures. NPR 8,000 in total, and TIMS is still part of it.
• The visa answer, from one source. The Nepal Department of Immigration names Vietnam only for diplomatic and official passports. Apply online, print the approval, and ask the Department to confirm in writing how it treats an ordinary Vietnamese passport.
• Insurance questions in writing. Altitude limit, helicopter evacuation for illness, whether the insurer pays the helicopter directly or reimburses you afterwards. A helicopter from Base Camp to Kathmandu costs US$3,000 to US$5,000.
• Our refund terms in plain words. They are in the payment section below, so you can read them before you pay.

How do you pay from Vietnam?

A 10 per cent deposit confirms your booking, and the balance is due when you reach Kathmandu. We bill in US dollars only, by card or cash. Card payments carry a 3.5 per cent bank charge, and cash in Kathmandu carries none. We cannot take Nepali rupees from foreign clients, and we do not take Vietnamese dong. Your own bank may add a currency margin when it converts dong to US dollars, and may have a limit on international card payments, so ask it before you pay.

Please be clear on the terms before you pay. The deposit is non-refundable, and if you cancel there is no refund. What we do offer is free rescheduling, with at least 72 hours' notice, to any date within one year. For restricted areas and Tibet the notice is seven days. If we are the ones who cannot run your trip, we refund what you paid, less taxes, bank and card charges and any money already spent on permits and flights.

Check us before you pay

You are sending money to a company in another country, so verify us rather than trusting a nicely written page. We are The Everest Holiday Pvt. Ltd., registered in Nepal on 8 April 2016, TAAN member number 1586. You can check any Nepali operator through the Office of the Company Registrar, TAAN, the Department of Tourism licence register and the Nepal Rastra Bank forex certification. Ask any operator for those numbers and check them yourself. You can also read our over 300 reviews on TripAdvisor, Google and Trustpilot.

I will also say what most operators leave out. Even fully licensed companies have been involved in scams. A licence is a floor, not a guarantee. Talk to us, ask hard questions, and see whether the answers are specific.

Quick answers for Vietnam

Is there a direct flight from Hanoi or Ho Chi Minh City? Not in my search on 4 October 2026: every nonstop-only search returned nothing. The cheapest return fares were US$788 from Hanoi through Delhi and US$789 from Ho Chi Minh City through Chengdu, and the Bangkok fares started at US$1,200 and US$1,153. They are one-day snapshots.

Do I need a visa with a Vietnamese passport? Yes, a tourist visa. The Nepal Department of Immigration says everyone outside twelve listed countries may get one on arrival, and it names Vietnam only for diplomatic and official passports. Apply online, print the approval, and ask the Department to confirm in writing.

Does my Vietnamese health insurance cover me in Nepal? I have not checked, and I would not assume it covers rescue or repatriation. You need a policy that covers trekking to altitude and helicopter rescue, in writing.

How many days of leave will the trip use? The 19 October to 6 November example on the cheapest Hanoi fare uses 14 working days, if your week is Monday to Friday. I have not read Vietnam's leave law, so check your own balance with your employer. Agree the dates well ahead, in writing.

Do I need a guide? Every trek we run includes a licensed guide. A licensed guide and agency-issued TIMS card are required on most trekking routes under the Nepal Tourism Board rule from 31 March 2023; the Everest (Khumbu) region does not enforce it locally, but we always trek with a licensed guide.

Can I bring a full suitcase to Lukla? No. Mountain flights allow about 10 kg checked plus 5 kg hand carry, and our flights guide says no airline publishes a Lukla excess rate. Leave the rest at your Kathmandu hotel.

How much cash do I need on the trail? The only cash machines are in Namche and are often empty, so bring your trail money from Kathmandu. On Budget, plan US$25 to US$40 a day for food; on Standard and Luxury meals are included.

Are permits included? Yes, in every tier. Sagarmatha National Park, the Khumbu municipality fee and the TIMS card, NPR 8,000 in total.

What if the Lukla flight is cancelled? That is what your spare days in Kathmandu are for. We rebook you, and on Luxury you are on a helicopter anyway.

Is autumn or spring better? Autumn for clear weather and atmosphere, spring for warmer days and flowers. Both are good.

What is the time difference? Nepal is 1 hour 15 minutes behind Vietnam, all year.

If you want the numbers run for your dates and your group size, message me on WhatsApp, or email [email protected]. I will give you the real figure, including the parts that are not in our favour. For other treks and general planning from Vietnam, read our Nepal trekking from Vietnam guide.

About The Everest Holiday

We are a family company in Kathmandu, three generations of family guides, registered in 2016 and a member of the Trekking Agencies' Association of Nepal, number 1586. When you book with us you deal with the family, not a call centre, and the guide who meets you at the airport works for the same people who answered your first message.

Every booking helps fund our Nagarjun Learning Center. We fully run the centre at Saldum, where 70 children learn with a teacher I pay for personally, and we have helped build and still support other community learning centres. It is where a real part of what you pay ends up.

Written by Shreejan Simkhada, CEO of The Everest Holiday, from a family of three generations of family guides. TAAN Member #1586.