This small deer is difficult to distinguish from related muntjacs by appearance alone. DNA evidence confirmed specimens from central Vietnam as this species.
The scent glands beneath the jaw are surrounded by long, coarse hairs. The paper notes that the species is hard to distinguish from close relatives by appearance alone.
It is elusive, and the central Vietnamese records were based on a small number of specimens. The paper calls for field surveys to assess the population.
An extinction-risk assessment has not been added yet.