diff --git a/drivers/net/virtio/virtio_user/virtio_user_dev.c b/drivers/net/virtio/virtio_user/virtio_user_dev.c
index 20816c936..697ba4ae8 100644
--- a/drivers/net/virtio/virtio_user/virtio_user_dev.c
+++ b/drivers/net/virtio/virtio_user/virtio_user_dev.c
@@ -58,6 +58,8 @@ virtio_user_kick_queue(struct virtio_user_dev *dev, uint32_t queue_sel)
 
 	state.index = queue_sel;
 	state.num = 0; /* no reservation */
+	if (dev->features & (1ULL << VIRTIO_F_RING_PACKED))
+		state.num |= (1 << 15);
 	dev->ops->send_request(dev, VHOST_USER_SET_VRING_BASE, &state);
 
 	dev->ops->send_request(dev, VHOST_USER_SET_VRING_ADDR, &addr);
@@ -407,12 +409,13 @@ virtio_user_dev_setup(struct virtio_user_dev *dev)
 	 1ULL << VIRTIO_NET_F_GUEST_TSO4	|	\
 	 1ULL << VIRTIO_NET_F_GUEST_TSO6	|	\
 	 1ULL << VIRTIO_F_IN_ORDER		|	\
-	 1ULL << VIRTIO_F_VERSION_1)
+	 1ULL << VIRTIO_F_VERSION_1		|	\
+	 1ULL << VIRTIO_F_RING_PACKED)
 
 int
 virtio_user_dev_init(struct virtio_user_dev *dev, char *path, int queues,
 		     int cq, int queue_size, const char *mac, char **ifname,
-		     int mrg_rxbuf, int in_order)
+		     int mrg_rxbuf, int in_order, int packed_vq)
 {
 	pthread_mutex_init(&dev->mutex, NULL);
 	snprintf(dev->path, PATH_MAX, "%s", path);
@@ -464,10 +467,17 @@ virtio_user_dev_init(struct virtio_user_dev *dev, char *path, int queues,
 	if (!in_order)
 		dev->unsupported_features |= (1ull << VIRTIO_F_IN_ORDER);
 
-	if (dev->mac_specified)
-		dev->frontend_features |= (1ull << VIRTIO_NET_F_MAC);
+	if (packed_vq)
+		dev->device_features |= (1ull << VIRTIO_F_RING_PACKED);
 	else
+		dev->device_features &= ~(1ull << VIRTIO_F_RING_PACKED);
+
+	if (dev->mac_specified) {
+		dev->device_features |= (1ull << VIRTIO_NET_F_MAC);
+	} else {
+		dev->device_features &= ~(1ull << VIRTIO_NET_F_MAC);
 		dev->unsupported_features |= (1ull << VIRTIO_NET_F_MAC);
+	}
 
 	if (cq) {
 		/* device does not really need to know anything about CQ,
diff --git a/drivers/net/virtio/virtio_user/virtio_user_dev.h b/drivers/net/virtio/virtio_user/virtio_user_dev.h
index c42ce5d4b..672a8161a 100644
--- a/drivers/net/virtio/virtio_user/virtio_user_dev.h
+++ b/drivers/net/virtio/virtio_user/virtio_user_dev.h
@@ -50,7 +50,7 @@ int virtio_user_start_device(struct virtio_user_dev *dev);
 int virtio_user_stop_device(struct virtio_user_dev *dev);
 int virtio_user_dev_init(struct virtio_user_dev *dev, char *path, int queues,
 			 int cq, int queue_size, const char *mac, char **ifname,
-			 int mrg_rxbuf, int in_order);
+			 int mrg_rxbuf, int in_order, int packed_vq);
 void virtio_user_dev_uninit(struct virtio_user_dev *dev);
 void virtio_user_handle_cq(struct virtio_user_dev *dev, uint16_t queue_idx);
 uint8_t virtio_user_handle_mq(struct virtio_user_dev *dev, uint16_t q_pairs);
diff --git a/drivers/net/virtio/virtio_user_ethdev.c b/drivers/net/virtio/virtio_user_ethdev.c
index f8791391a..af2800605 100644
--- a/drivers/net/virtio/virtio_user_ethdev.c
+++ b/drivers/net/virtio/virtio_user_ethdev.c
@@ -361,6 +361,8 @@ static const char *valid_args[] = {
 	VIRTIO_USER_ARG_MRG_RXBUF,
 #define VIRTIO_USER_ARG_IN_ORDER       "in_order"
 	VIRTIO_USER_ARG_IN_ORDER,
+#define VIRTIO_USER_ARG_PACKED_VQ "packed_vq"
+	VIRTIO_USER_ARG_PACKED_VQ,
 	NULL
 };
 
@@ -468,6 +470,7 @@ virtio_user_pmd_probe(struct rte_vdev_device *dev)
 	char *ifname = NULL;
 	char *mac_addr = NULL;
 	int ret = -1;
+	uint64_t packed_vq = 0;
 
 	kvlist = rte_kvargs_parse(rte_vdev_device_args(dev), valid_args);
 	if (!kvlist) {
@@ -551,6 +554,15 @@ virtio_user_pmd_probe(struct rte_vdev_device *dev)
 		cq = 1;
 	}
 
+	if (rte_kvargs_count(kvlist, VIRTIO_USER_ARG_PACKED_VQ) == 1) {
+		if (rte_kvargs_process(kvlist, VIRTIO_USER_ARG_PACKED_VQ,
+				       &get_integer_arg, &packed_vq) < 0) {
+			PMD_INIT_LOG(ERR, "error to parse %s",
+				     VIRTIO_USER_ARG_PACKED_VQ);
+			goto end;
+		}
+	}
+
 	if (queues > 1 && cq == 0) {
 		PMD_INIT_LOG(ERR, "multi-q requires ctrl-q");
 		goto end;
@@ -598,7 +610,7 @@ virtio_user_pmd_probe(struct rte_vdev_device *dev)
 			vu_dev->is_server = false;
 		if (virtio_user_dev_init(hw->virtio_user_dev, path, queues, cq,
 				 queue_size, mac_addr, &ifname, mrg_rxbuf,
-				 in_order) < 0) {
+				 in_order, packed_vq) < 0) {
 			PMD_INIT_LOG(ERR, "virtio_user_dev_init fails");
 			virtio_user_eth_dev_free(eth_dev);
 			goto end;
