diff --git a/encodings/zstd/src/lib.rs b/encodings/zstd/src/lib.rs
index 679e2c371fe..a178fdec142 100644
--- a/encodings/zstd/src/lib.rs
+++ b/encodings/zstd/src/lib.rs
@@ -22,6 +22,7 @@
 //! ```
 
 pub use array::*;
+use vortex_array::dtype::proto::dtype as pb;
 #[cfg(feature = "unstable_encodings")]
 pub use zstd_buffers::*;
 
@@ -73,4 +74,12 @@ pub struct ZstdBuffersMetadata {
     /// Alignment of each buffer in bytes (must be a power of two).
     #[prost(uint32, repeated, tag = "4")]
     pub buffer_alignments: Vec<u32>,
+    /// DType of child arrays. Children belong to inner encodings, and their
+    /// dtypes don't persist after serialization, so we need to retrieve them
+    /// from metadata.
+    #[prost(message, repeated, tag = "5")]
+    pub child_dtypes: Vec<pb::DType>,
+    /// Length of each child array, ordered as "child_dtypes"
+    #[prost(uint64, repeated, tag = "6")]
+    pub child_lens: Vec<u64>,
 }
diff --git a/encodings/zstd/src/zstd_buffers.rs b/encodings/zstd/src/zstd_buffers.rs
index ed25b984974..f6cb9af586c 100644
--- a/encodings/zstd/src/zstd_buffers.rs
+++ b/encodings/zstd/src/zstd_buffers.rs
@@ -419,12 +419,21 @@ impl VTable for ZstdBuffers {
         array: ArrayView<'_, Self>,
         _session: &VortexSession,
     ) -> VortexResult<Option<Vec<u8>>> {
+        let children: Vec<&ArrayRef> = array.slots().iter().flatten().collect();
+        let child_dtypes = children
+            .iter()
+            .map(|child| child.dtype().try_into())
+            .collect::<VortexResult<Vec<_>>>()?;
+        let child_lens = children.iter().map(|child| child.len() as u64).collect();
+
         Ok(Some(
             ZstdBuffersMetadata {
                 inner_encoding_id: array.inner_encoding_id.to_string(),
                 inner_metadata: array.inner_metadata.clone(),
                 uncompressed_sizes: array.uncompressed_sizes.clone(),
                 buffer_alignments: array.buffer_alignments.clone(),
+                child_dtypes,
+                child_lens,
             }
             .encode_to_vec(),
         ))
@@ -437,13 +446,23 @@ impl VTable for ZstdBuffers {
         metadata: &[u8],
         buffers: &[BufferHandle],
         children: &dyn ArrayChildren,
-        _session: &VortexSession,
+        session: &VortexSession,
     ) -> VortexResult<ArrayParts<Self>> {
         let metadata = ZstdBuffersMetadata::decode(metadata)?;
         let compressed_buffers: Vec<BufferHandle> = buffers.to_vec();
 
+        // Children belong to inner encodings, and serialization doesn't
+        // preserve their dtypes and values. Check dtypes are recovered from
+        // metadata.
+        vortex_ensure_eq!(metadata.child_dtypes.len(), children.len());
+        vortex_ensure_eq!(metadata.child_lens.len(), children.len());
+
         let slots: ArraySlots = (0..children.len())
-            .map(|i| children.get(i, dtype, len).map(Some))
+            .map(|i| {
+                let child_dtype = DType::from_proto(&metadata.child_dtypes[i], session)?;
+                let child_len = usize::try_from(metadata.child_lens[i])?;
+                children.get(i, &child_dtype, child_len).map(Some)
+            })
             .collect::<VortexResult<Vec<_>>>()?
             .into();
 
@@ -506,6 +525,7 @@ impl ValidityVTable<ZstdBuffers> for ZstdBuffers {
 #[cfg(test)]
 mod tests {
     use rstest::rstest;
+    use vortex_array::ArrayContext;
     use vortex_array::ArrayRef;
     use vortex_array::IntoArray;
     use vortex_array::VortexSessionExecute;
@@ -516,7 +536,12 @@ mod tests {
     use vortex_array::expr::stats::Precision;
     use vortex_array::expr::stats::Stat;
     use vortex_array::expr::stats::StatsProvider;
+    use vortex_array::serde::SerializeOptions;
+    use vortex_array::serde::SerializedArray;
+    use vortex_array::session::ArraySessionExt;
+    use vortex_buffer::ByteBufferMut;
     use vortex_error::VortexResult;
+    use vortex_session::registry::ReadContext;
 
     use super::*;
 
@@ -572,6 +597,38 @@ mod tests {
         Ok(())
     }
 
+    #[rstest]
+    #[case::primitive(make_primitive_array())]
+    #[case::varbinview(make_varbinview_array())]
+    #[case::nullable_primitive(make_nullable_primitive_array())]
+    #[case::nullable_varbinview(make_nullable_varbinview_array())]
+    #[case::empty_primitive(make_empty_primitive_array())]
+    #[case::inlined_varbinview(make_inlined_varbinview_array())]
+    fn test_serde_roundtrip(#[case] input: ArrayRef) -> VortexResult<()> {
+        let session = array_session();
+        session.arrays().register(ZstdBuffers);
+
+        let compressed = ZstdBuffers::compress(&input, 3, &session)?.into_array();
+        let dtype = compressed.dtype().clone();
+        let len = compressed.len();
+
+        let array_ctx = ArrayContext::empty();
+        let serialized =
+            compressed.serialize(&array_ctx, &session, &SerializeOptions::default())?;
+
+        let mut concat = ByteBufferMut::empty();
+        for buf in serialized {
+            concat.extend_from_slice(buf.as_ref());
+        }
+        let parts = SerializedArray::try_from(concat.freeze())?;
+        let decoded = parts.decode(&dtype, len, &ReadContext::new(array_ctx.to_ids()), &session)?;
+
+        let mut ctx = session.create_execution_ctx();
+        let decoded = decoded.execute::<ArrayRef>(&mut ctx)?;
+        assert_arrays_eq!(input, decoded, &mut ctx);
+        Ok(())
+    }
+
     #[test]
     fn test_compress_inherits_stats() -> VortexResult<()> {
         let input = make_primitive_array();