The United States will open a consulate in the central Vietnamese city of Danang, according to the U.S. Embassy in Hanoi.

The opening of the U.S. consulate will coincide with the opening of a new Vietnamese consulate in Houston, Texas.

U.S. Ambassador to Vietnam Michael Michalak said the U.S. Embassy in Hanoi or the U.S. Consulate in Ho Chi Minh City will temporarily take charge of the Danang consulate until the American government provides more funding for the new office.

Michalak said the U.S. had sought permission from the Vietnamese government for a Hanoi-based U.S. consul to take charge of the Danang consulate.

Seaside Danang and the nearby “ancient town” of Hoi An attracts many international tourists. Danang is regarded as one of Vietnam’s economic powerhouses, drawing interest from investors from the U.S. and around the world.

During the Vietnam War, the U.S. had an air base in Danang. U.S. troops in Vietnam often took their recreation leave at Danang’s Non Nuoc Beach, which was nicknamed China Beach.

Meanwhile, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said the Vietnamese General Consulate in Houston was likely to open by the end of this month.

Former foreign ministry spokesman Le Dung will head of the consulate in Houston, it was announced last month.

According to the 2006 U.S. census, there are 85,000 overseas Vietnamese people living in Houston, making it the third largest Vietnamese community in the U.S.

Vietnam already has a consulate in San Francisco and an embassy in Washington.