diff --git a/contrib/libvhost-user/libvhost-user-glib.c b/contrib/libvhost-user/libvhost-user-glib.c
index 53f1ca4cdd..0df2ec9271 100644
--- a/contrib/libvhost-user/libvhost-user-glib.c
+++ b/contrib/libvhost-user/libvhost-user-glib.c
@@ -147,7 +147,7 @@ vug_init(VugDev *dev, uint16_t max_queues, int socket,
     g_assert(dev);
     g_assert(iface);
 
-    if (!vu_init(&dev->parent, max_queues, socket, panic, set_watch,
+    if (!vu_init(&dev->parent, max_queues, socket, panic, NULL, set_watch,
                  remove_watch, iface)) {
         return false;
     }
diff --git a/contrib/libvhost-user/libvhost-user.c b/contrib/libvhost-user/libvhost-user.c
index 9f1285b8a1..09bdff18f3 100644
--- a/contrib/libvhost-user/libvhost-user.c
+++ b/contrib/libvhost-user/libvhost-user.c
@@ -68,8 +68,6 @@
 /* The version of inflight buffer */
 #define INFLIGHT_VERSION 1
 
-#define VHOST_USER_HDR_SIZE offsetof(VhostUserMsg, payload.u64)
-
 /* The version of the protocol we support */
 #define VHOST_USER_VERSION 1
 #define LIBVHOST_USER_DEBUG 0
@@ -268,7 +266,7 @@ have_userfault(void)
 }
 
 static bool
-vu_message_read(VuDev *dev, int conn_fd, VhostUserMsg *vmsg)
+vu_message_read_default(VuDev *dev, int conn_fd, VhostUserMsg *vmsg)
 {
     char control[CMSG_SPACE(VHOST_MEMORY_BASELINE_NREGIONS * sizeof(int))] = {};
     struct iovec iov = {
@@ -416,7 +414,7 @@ vu_process_message_reply(VuDev *dev, const VhostUserMsg *vmsg)
         goto out;
     }
 
-    if (!vu_message_read(dev, dev->slave_fd, &msg_reply)) {
+    if (!vu_message_read_default(dev, dev->slave_fd, &msg_reply)) {
         goto out;
     }
 
@@ -907,7 +905,7 @@ vu_set_mem_table_exec_postcopy(VuDev *dev, VhostUserMsg *vmsg)
     /* Wait for QEMU to confirm that it's registered the handler for the
      * faults.
      */
-    if (!vu_message_read(dev, dev->sock, vmsg) ||
+    if (!dev->read_msg(dev, dev->sock, vmsg) ||
         vmsg->size != sizeof(vmsg->payload.u64) ||
         vmsg->payload.u64 != 0) {
         vu_panic(dev, "failed to receive valid ack for postcopy set-mem-table");
@@ -1869,7 +1867,7 @@ vu_dispatch(VuDev *dev)
     int reply_requested;
     bool need_reply, success = false;
 
-    if (!vu_message_read(dev, dev->sock, &vmsg)) {
+    if (!dev->read_msg(dev, dev->sock, &vmsg)) {
         goto end;
     }
 
@@ -1967,6 +1965,7 @@ vu_init(VuDev *dev,
         uint16_t max_queues,
         int socket,
         vu_panic_cb panic,
+        vu_read_msg_cb read_msg,
         vu_set_watch_cb set_watch,
         vu_remove_watch_cb remove_watch,
         const VuDevIface *iface)
@@ -1984,6 +1983,7 @@ vu_init(VuDev *dev,
 
     dev->sock = socket;
     dev->panic = panic;
+    dev->read_msg = read_msg ? read_msg : vu_message_read_default;
     dev->set_watch = set_watch;
     dev->remove_watch = remove_watch;
     dev->iface = iface;
@@ -2349,7 +2349,7 @@ static void _vu_queue_notify(VuDev *dev, VuVirtq *vq, bool sync)
 
         vu_message_write(dev, dev->slave_fd, &vmsg);
         if (ack) {
-            vu_message_read(dev, dev->slave_fd, &vmsg);
+            vu_message_read_default(dev, dev->slave_fd, &vmsg);
         }
         return;
     }
diff --git a/contrib/libvhost-user/libvhost-user.h b/contrib/libvhost-user/libvhost-user.h
index 287ac5fec7..3bbeae8587 100644
--- a/contrib/libvhost-user/libvhost-user.h
+++ b/contrib/libvhost-user/libvhost-user.h
@@ -36,6 +36,8 @@
  */
 #define VHOST_USER_MAX_RAM_SLOTS 32
 
+#define VHOST_USER_HDR_SIZE offsetof(VhostUserMsg, payload.u64)
+
 typedef enum VhostSetConfigType {
     VHOST_SET_CONFIG_TYPE_MASTER = 0,
     VHOST_SET_CONFIG_TYPE_MIGRATION = 1,
@@ -221,6 +223,7 @@ typedef uint64_t (*vu_get_features_cb) (VuDev *dev);
 typedef void (*vu_set_features_cb) (VuDev *dev, uint64_t features);
 typedef int (*vu_process_msg_cb) (VuDev *dev, VhostUserMsg *vmsg,
                                   int *do_reply);
+typedef bool (*vu_read_msg_cb) (VuDev *dev, int sock, VhostUserMsg *vmsg);
 typedef void (*vu_queue_set_started_cb) (VuDev *dev, int qidx, bool started);
 typedef bool (*vu_queue_is_processed_in_order_cb) (VuDev *dev, int qidx);
 typedef int (*vu_get_config_cb) (VuDev *dev, uint8_t *config, uint32_t len);
@@ -389,6 +392,23 @@ struct VuDev {
     bool broken;
     uint16_t max_queues;
 
+    /* @read_msg: custom method to read vhost-user message
+     *
+     * Read data from vhost_user socket fd and fill up
+     * the passed VhostUserMsg *vmsg struct.
+     *
+     * If reading fails, it should close the received set of file
+     * descriptors as socket message's auxiliary data.
+     *
+     * For the details, please refer to vu_message_read in libvhost-user.c
+     * which will be used by default if not custom method is provided when
+     * calling vu_init
+     *
+     * Returns: true if vhost-user message successfully received,
+     *          otherwise return false.
+     *
+     */
+    vu_read_msg_cb read_msg;
     /* @set_watch: add or update the given fd to the watch set,
      * call cb when condition is met */
     vu_set_watch_cb set_watch;
@@ -432,6 +452,7 @@ bool vu_init(VuDev *dev,
              uint16_t max_queues,
              int socket,
              vu_panic_cb panic,
+             vu_read_msg_cb read_msg,
              vu_set_watch_cb set_watch,
              vu_remove_watch_cb remove_watch,
              const VuDevIface *iface);
diff --git a/tests/vhost-user-bridge.c b/tests/vhost-user-bridge.c
index 6c3d490611..bd43607a4d 100644
--- a/tests/vhost-user-bridge.c
+++ b/tests/vhost-user-bridge.c
@@ -520,6 +520,7 @@ vubr_accept_cb(int sock, void *ctx)
                  VHOST_USER_BRIDGE_MAX_QUEUES,
                  conn_fd,
                  vubr_panic,
+                 NULL,
                  vubr_set_watch,
                  vubr_remove_watch,
                  &vuiface)) {
@@ -573,6 +574,7 @@ vubr_new(const char *path, bool client)
                      VHOST_USER_BRIDGE_MAX_QUEUES,
                      dev->sock,
                      vubr_panic,
+                     NULL,
                      vubr_set_watch,
                      vubr_remove_watch,
                      &vuiface)) {
diff --git a/tools/virtiofsd/fuse_virtio.c b/tools/virtiofsd/fuse_virtio.c
index 89f537f79b..324936948d 100644
--- a/tools/virtiofsd/fuse_virtio.c
+++ b/tools/virtiofsd/fuse_virtio.c
@@ -1013,8 +1013,8 @@ int virtio_session_mount(struct fuse_session *se)
     se->vu_socketfd = data_sock;
     se->virtio_dev->se = se;
     pthread_rwlock_init(&se->virtio_dev->vu_dispatch_rwlock, NULL);
-    vu_init(&se->virtio_dev->dev, 2, se->vu_socketfd, fv_panic, fv_set_watch,
-            fv_remove_watch, &fv_iface);
+    vu_init(&se->virtio_dev->dev, 2, se->vu_socketfd, fv_panic, NULL,
+            fv_set_watch, fv_remove_watch, &fv_iface);
 
     return 0;
 }