Upvote:0
The Vietnamese embassy in my country gives some vague advice that I should contact a Vietnamese resident in Vietnam who should then apply for me from inside Vietnam, after which I can pick up a visa on arrival at the airport, but this seems to be both a hassle and a little bit sketchy (I'd much, much rather have things completed in advance, this will be quite an expensive trip).
This is the pre-arranged visa process. For this, you need an official invitation letter from a person/company in Vietnam. There are some agencies that will do that for individuals for a fee.
With the advantage of it being multiple-entry if wanted. A random online agency quoted US$20 for a 1-month multiple entry.
You can see this answer about those