@Petrer: while I was busy not making the obvious Gandhara/Kandahar id (yeah - damn I knew that!) it occurred to me that Alexander's name in Persian languages is pronounced Sikander (a men's name used even today in Afghanistan), so I thought of Si(x)-kandar > Kandahar - ever thought of that one? Sheer speculation, no digging for any sources.

Kandahar/Gandhara - yeah, I think I knew that but forgot. But I'd think it would have been Dali, during the Nanzhao & Dali Kingdoms, that would have been called in Sanskrit(?), rather than Kunming. I take it you're saying that Qiantuoluo is a transliteration of Gandhara into Chinese? Sounds like it could be; and then the Tuo > Tuodong (east, yeah). Which tuo is it and what does it mean?

Logical - are there documents or steles or something in/on which the writers themselves make these connections?

@Peter: I've never heard that Kunming was ever called East Kandahar, or that the name Tuodong was ever associated with Kandahar. Kandahar is in southern Afghanistan today, but the Old City of Kandahar (the Zor Shar), where I participated on an archaeological dig some 40 years ago, had 'Greek' style remains that allowed us to identify it as one of many 'Alexandrias' taken over (remains at Zor Shar go back a couple thousand years before Alexander's armies) and renamed by the Macedonaian/Greek armies of Alexander the Great and/or the Hellenistic Empire that followed it. The Kandahar area of Afghanistan, as well as much of the Indian subcontinent, was later part of the (Buddhist) Mauryan Empire, centered in what is today's India - wouldn't be surprised if the Mauryans claimed all of Bengal, which included what is now Bangladesh, and perhaps the foreigner kingdoms of what became Burma and called it all something. However, there is no indication that any of the Hellenistic rulers or the Mauryans ever conquered, or even invaded, the Kunming area, although it wouldn't be surprising if they heard of it and claimed it, as conquerors are wont to claim anything they hear of. But I don't know the origin of the name Kandahar, in Afghanistan or anywhere else.

If you go via Luang Nam Tha, check out the Bamboo Lounge restaurant there, which has an ongoing program of helping to provide textbooks, with part of its profits and with a contribution from an anonymous donor, for the schoolkids of the area, most of whom do not have them at present.

The late Sam Mitchell, whose PhD was in Indian History, and who had a great love for India and Indian culture, played a part in establishing and advancing connections between Kunming and Rabinra Bharati University before his unfortunate death in Kolkata in 2011. I once had the privilege of hearing him go on at dizzying length on Indian metaphysics with a very bright US student upstairs in Salvador's.