Analyzing the barriers to green supply chain management implementation: a case study of the Vietnamese agriculture sector

Purpose This research study aims to identify and rank the most substantial barriers to implementing green supply chain management (GSCM) in the Vietnamese agriculture industry. Design/methodology/approach The Technique for Order of Preference by Similarity to Ideal Solution (TOPSIS) techniques have been employed for this work to rank the critical GSCM barriers. The rankings were determined based on the expertise and input of ten experts from Vietnamese agriculture firms who participated as respondents. Findings This study has identified seven clusters of barriers, which encompass a total of 19 sub-barriers. Among these obstacles, the categories of financial costs and external stakeholders have emerged as the top priority barriers that require immediate attention and resolution. Meanwhile, the technology and strategic management clusters have a relatively weaker impact on GSCM implementation. Practical implications These findings provide valuable guidelines for the top managers in this sector to consider before systematically deciding on the GSCM implementation problems to improve performance and competitive advantage. Originality/value This work focuses on considering GSCM barriers for the Vietnamese agriculture industry; hence, it enriches the GSCM literature by offering perspectives from a transitional market, which results in variations in the barriers, categorization and importance ranking.