Purpose: This article aims to identify the critical barriers to university social responsibility (USR) implementation and explore the most significant obstacles in Vietnamese higher education practice. Design/methodology/approach: To rank the vital barriers in USR implementation between public and private universities, the Technique for Order of Preference by Similarity to Ideal Solution (TOPSIS) techniques have been employed. The authors collected data from twenty experts across Vietnamese universities, ten respondents for each kind correspondingly. All experts have at least five years of experience in terms of the USR regard. Findings: Sixteen critical barriers to USR implementation have been identified in the context of Vietnamese universities. Among these barriers, those related to legal issues, USR knowledge and stakeholders are deemed the highest priority to overcome. However, the findings revealed that the lack of metrics to quantify USR benefits, local societal pressure and the complexity of USR adoption are comparatively easier to remove when implementing USR initiatives. Practical implications: The article suggests that for Vietnamese universities to adopt USR initiatives successfully, higher education administrators and senior project managers should prioritize overcoming obstacles based on their university's capabilities. Originality/value: This work is the first research considering the barriers and challenges of Vietnamese universities struggling to implement USR programs.