The movement of the rig by China triggered a furious reaction in Hanoi and led to speculation the secretive government might be reconsidering its relationship with Beijing, perhaps favouring a tilt to the United States as other Southeast Asian nations locked in territorial disputes with China have.
But several analysts have said the government was split between those favouring a strategic shift to Washington and a faction believing that China, its ideological ally, giant neighbour and vital economic partner, can be accommodated despite Beijing's stated claims on large parts of the South China Sea that Hanoi believes are its own.
It said politburo member Le Hong Anh's visit, at the invitation of China, was aimed at ensuring there won't be a repeat of the oil rig incident and to "promote the healthy, stable and long-term development of relations between the two parties and states."
It reiterated its regret for deadly anti-Chinese riots that broke out during the crisis and pledged to ensure the safety of Chinese workers and companies in the country.
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He will be the highest-level official to have contact with China after Chinese state councilor Yang Jiechi visited Hanoi in June, a trip that produced no result.
China refused to listen to Vietnamese complaints after it moved the rig, and pulled it out on its own terms.
Anti-Chinese sentiment is widespread in Vietnam, and is often tapped into by the country's dissident movement, which criticises the government for its allegedly subservient relationship to its Communist brethren next door.
"China will never compromise. Their removal of the oil rig was only temporary. They will never abandon their wicked ambitions of taking a monopoly over the East Sea," he said using the Vietnamese term for the South China Sea.