The silver-backed chevrotain is endemic to Vietnam. Recent camera-trap surveys recorded it in dry and semi-dry forests in the south-central part of the country.
A male specimen collected in 1990 had a gray back with conspicuous white-tipped hairs, browner fur on the neck and shoulders, and a white underside with a clear boundary from the back.
In camera-trap surveys during 2018–2025, it was recorded at five of 15 forest sites; four records confirmed populations not previously known to the study authors.
An extinction-risk assessment has not been added yet.