At first, D’ran was just a stop along the railway route from Phan Rang, capital of south-central Ninh Thuan Province, to Da Lat, with rail workers eventually settling in the area.
The Da Lat – Phan Rang rail route is one of only two in the world to use rack rails. The track, laid by the French colonial administration of Indochina in 1932, runs a total length of 84 km, including 40 km of rack rails.