diff --git a/vndk/tools/header-checker/utils/create_reference_dumps.py b/vndk/tools/header-checker/utils/create_reference_dumps.py
index d82a2cb86..bfa354f9e 100755
--- a/vndk/tools/header-checker/utils/create_reference_dumps.py
+++ b/vndk/tools/header-checker/utils/create_reference_dumps.py
@@ -47,6 +47,12 @@ def find_and_copy_lib_lsdumps(target, soong_dir, ref_dump_dir_stem,
                               core_or_vendor_shared_str,
                               libs, lsdump_paths):
     assert(target.primary_arch != '')
+    target_arch_variant_str = ''
+    # if TARGET_ARCH == TARGET_ARCH_VARIANT, soong makes targetArchVariant empty
+    # this is the case for aosp_x86_64_ab and aosp_x86
+    if target.arch_variant != target.arch:
+        target_arch_variant_str = '_' + target.arch_variant
+
     arch_lsdump_paths = find_lib_lsdumps(target.arch, target.arch_variant,
                                          target.cpu_variant, lsdump_paths,
                                          core_or_vendor_shared_str,
@@ -55,7 +61,7 @@ def find_and_copy_lib_lsdumps(target, soong_dir, ref_dump_dir_stem,
     # reference  directory.
     return copy_reference_dumps(arch_lsdump_paths, ref_dump_dir_stem,
                                 ref_dump_dir_insertion,
-                                target.arch + '_' + target.arch_variant)
+                                target.arch + target_arch_variant_str)
 
 def get_ref_dump_dir_stem(args, vndk_or_ndk, product, platform_vndk_version):
     version = args.version