The Waterfall That Never Was – Pan (Warner Bros.)
Every so often, a location stops you in your tracks — not because it made the final cut, but because it really should have.
During the early stages of scouting for Warner Bros’ Pan — the big, bold reimagining of the Peter Pan story, directed by Joe Wright — I set out to find something truly otherworldly. That search led me to the Detian–Ban Gioc Waterfall, one of Asia’s most breathtaking natural wonders.
I first approached it from the Vietnamese side. I flew into Hanoi via Bangkok, then drove the eight-hour haul to Cao Bằng — a remote province in Vietnam’s far north, close to the Chinese border. Cao Bằng is wild, lush, and largely untouched — all limestone peaks, rice paddies, and winding rivers. It’s remote, yes — but full of cinematic promise.
The next morning, it was a bumpy two-hour drive through misty valleys to the waterfall itself.
And then — there it was. The Detian–Ban Gioc Waterfall. Wide. Thunderous. Majestic. The kind of natural wonder that actually takes your breath away. And running straight through the centre of it? The international border between Vietnam and China.
It was surprisingly quiet for such a dramatic location — just a few other visitors quietly taking it in. Determined to get the best angle, I hired a local bamboo raft and drifted out into the river.
That’s when things got interesting.
In my quest for the perfect shot, I drifted just a little too far… and suddenly realised I was no longer in Vietnam. A few armed border guards on the far bank were now watching me very closely. One hand gripped the camera — the other went straight to the oar as I desperately paddled back toward Vietnamese waters, trying not to cause an international incident over a location scout.
With the waterfall behind me, I stopped for a swift bowl of pho at the one and only café beside the park entrance — a quiet, steaming reward before hitting the road again.
Next stop: Ha Long City, and from there, into the iconic Ha Long Bay — a labyrinth of limestone islands rising from jade-green waters. It’s a natural film set, atmospheric and dreamlike — but that’s a story for another post.
Back in the UK, I began trying to arrange the Chinese side of the scout, as the angles seemed to be much better on their side, from what I could make out. That turned into a mission in itself. I made several failed attempts to obtain a visa, mostly due to my preferred port of entry. The embassy seemed determined to have me fly into Nanning, but I had other ideas.
After watching enough YouTube videos, I’d set my sights on the old-school, on-foot crossing known as the Friendship Pass, near the small Vietnamese town of Dong Dang. So I flew back to Hanoi, then headed straight north by road to Dong Dang — the nearest jump-off point to the crossing.
I walked across the Friendship Pass on foot, passport in hand — one of those surreal location scouting moments you can’t quite believe is happening.
Waiting for me on the other side was my local service partner in China (Su Su – Gung-Ho Films). She had everything perfectly arranged, and we set off toward Detian.
The contrast was immediate — the road on the Chinese side was wide, multi-lane, and nearly brand new. A world away from the rough, compressed dirt track I’d taken in Vietnam. We drove for three hours through spectacular karst mountain scenery, barely passing another soul — maybe a chugging tractor or two. Just a stunning, cinematic landscape rolling past the windscreen.
That evening, we stayed at the Old Kapok Hotel — a rustic, garden-style retreat built from kapok wood, nestled in the hills near the falls. Surrounded by lush greenery and Wisteria, with views toward Lion Mountain, it was the perfect place to stop, breathe, and reflect.
The next morning, I finally got to see the waterfall from the Chinese side — and it was like stepping into a fairytale.
It was absolutely packed — hundreds of domestic tourists, many of whom had never seen a foreigner. Within minutes, I was posing for selfies with grinning families like some curious exhibit. A surreal moment, to say the least.
But the waterfall itself? Stunning. Framed by cliffs, mist, and jungle, it truly looked like something out of a storybook. A perfect fairytale waterfall. A natural Neverland. Job done — a quick bowl of vegetable noodles and time to head back.
And then — as I was driving back toward the Vietnamese border, my phone buzzed.
A message from the producer:
“Hey Steve — just to let you know… the waterfall scene’s been cut from the script.”
I actually laughed. After two months of planning and a few weeks of execution — two countries, embassies, permits, rafts, visas, selfies, and a near-border incident — the scene was gone.
Well — that’s location scouting. You chase the magic. You cross borders. You do the impossible — and sometimes, none of it ends up on screen.
But you come away with stories no scriptwriter could ever dream up.
That was quite the adventure.
