This article explores the rationale behind the ineffectiveness of on-campus Work-Integrated Learning (WIL) activities in three Vietnamese universities. An exploratory sequential mixed-methods approach that included six in-depth interviews with lecturers and 461 responses to a student survey was employed to investigate challenges facing lecturers in implementing on-campus WIL activities and student perspectives on on-campus WIL practices. Findings revealed six obstacles associated with university stakeholders facing lecturers when organising and implementing on-campus WIL activities. Survey responses underscored student preferences in experiential and project-based learning and highlighted the importance of industry engagement to on-campus WIL effectiveness. This article calls for more awareness among university department leaders, lecturers and students about the values of on-campus WIL and suggests that further work in the areas of relevant policy and practice is required for university initiatives relating to on-campus WIL to happen.