diff --git a/apex/apex.go b/apex/apex.go
index 8e1783ed5..25de1ee17 100644
--- a/apex/apex.go
+++ b/apex/apex.go
@@ -734,12 +734,14 @@ func (a *apexBundle) combineProperties(ctx android.BottomUpMutatorContext) {
 	}
 }
 
-// getImageVariation returns the image variant name for this apexBundle. In most cases, it's simply
-// android.CoreVariation, but gets complicated for the vendor APEXes and the VNDK APEX.
-func (a *apexBundle) getImageVariation(ctx android.BottomUpMutatorContext) string {
-	deviceConfig := ctx.DeviceConfig()
+// getImageVariationPair returns a pair for the image variation name as its
+// prefix and suffix. The prefix indicates whether it's core/vendor/product and the
+// suffix indicates the vndk version when it's vendor or product.
+// getImageVariation can simply join the result of this function to get the
+// image variation name.
+func (a *apexBundle) getImageVariationPair(deviceConfig android.DeviceConfig) (string, string) {
 	if a.vndkApex {
-		return cc.VendorVariationPrefix + a.vndkVersion(deviceConfig)
+		return cc.VendorVariationPrefix, a.vndkVersion(deviceConfig)
 	}
 
 	var prefix string
@@ -757,10 +759,17 @@ func (a *apexBundle) getImageVariation(ctx android.BottomUpMutatorContext) strin
 		vndkVersion = deviceConfig.PlatformVndkVersion()
 	}
 	if vndkVersion != "" {
-		return prefix + vndkVersion
+		return prefix, vndkVersion
 	}
 
-	return android.CoreVariation // The usual case
+	return android.CoreVariation, "" // The usual case
+}
+
+// getImageVariation returns the image variant name for this apexBundle. In most cases, it's simply
+// android.CoreVariation, but gets complicated for the vendor APEXes and the VNDK APEX.
+func (a *apexBundle) getImageVariation(ctx android.BottomUpMutatorContext) string {
+	prefix, vndkVersion := a.getImageVariationPair(ctx.DeviceConfig())
+	return prefix + vndkVersion
 }
 
 func (a *apexBundle) DepsMutator(ctx android.BottomUpMutatorContext) {
diff --git a/apex/builder.go b/apex/builder.go
index 4be34d22b..82a523c78 100644
--- a/apex/builder.go
+++ b/apex/builder.go
@@ -235,6 +235,12 @@ func (a *apexBundle) buildManifest(ctx android.ModuleContext, provideNativeLibs,
 		optCommands = append(optCommands, "-a jniLibs "+strings.Join(jniLibs, " "))
 	}
 
+	if android.InList(":vndk", requireNativeLibs) {
+		if _, vndkVersion := a.getImageVariationPair(ctx.DeviceConfig()); vndkVersion != "" {
+			optCommands = append(optCommands, "-v vndkVersion "+vndkVersion)
+		}
+	}
+
 	manifestJsonFullOut := android.PathForModuleOut(ctx, "apex_manifest_full.json")
 	defaultVersion := android.DefaultUpdatableModuleVersion
 	if override := ctx.Config().Getenv("OVERRIDE_APEX_MANIFEST_DEFAULT_VERSION"); override != "" {