diff --git a/runsc/cmd/checkpoint.go b/runsc/cmd/checkpoint.go
index 92d943544..6d28f6e45 100644
--- a/runsc/cmd/checkpoint.go
+++ b/runsc/cmd/checkpoint.go
@@ -34,6 +34,13 @@ type Checkpoint struct {
 	leaveRunning              bool
 	compression               CheckpointCompression
 	excludeCommittedZeroPages bool
+
+	// direct indicates whether O_DIRECT should be used for writing the
+	// checkpoint pages file. It bypasses the kernel page cache. It is beneficial
+	// if the checkpoint files are not expected to be read again on this host.
+	// For example, if the checkpoint files will be stored on a network block
+	// device, which will be detached after the checkpoint is done.
+	direct bool
 }
 
 // Name implements subcommands.Command.Name.
@@ -58,6 +65,7 @@ func (c *Checkpoint) SetFlags(f *flag.FlagSet) {
 	f.BoolVar(&c.leaveRunning, "leave-running", false, "restart the container after checkpointing")
 	f.Var(newCheckpointCompressionValue(statefile.CompressionLevelDefault, &c.compression), "compression", "compress checkpoint image on disk. Values: none|flate-best-speed.")
 	f.BoolVar(&c.excludeCommittedZeroPages, "exclude-committed-zero-pages", false, "exclude committed zero-filled pages from checkpoint")
+	f.BoolVar(&c.direct, "direct", false, "use O_DIRECT for writing checkpoint pages file")
 
 	// Unimplemented flags necessary for compatibility with docker.
 	var wp string
@@ -99,7 +107,7 @@ func (c *Checkpoint) Execute(_ context.Context, f *flag.FlagSet, args ...any) su
 		sOpts.Resume = true
 	}
 
-	if err := cont.Checkpoint(c.imagePath, sOpts, mfOpts); err != nil {
+	if err := cont.Checkpoint(c.imagePath, c.direct, sOpts, mfOpts); err != nil {
 		util.Fatalf("checkpoint failed: %v", err)
 	}
 
diff --git a/runsc/container/container.go b/runsc/container/container.go
index 430745d78..32d0022a5 100644
--- a/runsc/container/container.go
+++ b/runsc/container/container.go
@@ -702,12 +702,12 @@ func (c *Container) ForwardSignals(pid int32, fgProcess bool) func() {
 
 // Checkpoint sends the checkpoint call to the container.
 // The statefile will be written to f, the file at the specified image-path.
-func (c *Container) Checkpoint(imagePath string, sfOpts statefile.Options, mfOpts pgalloc.SaveOpts) error {
+func (c *Container) Checkpoint(imagePath string, direct bool, sfOpts statefile.Options, mfOpts pgalloc.SaveOpts) error {
 	log.Debugf("Checkpoint container, cid: %s", c.ID)
 	if err := c.requireStatus("checkpoint", Created, Running, Paused); err != nil {
 		return err
 	}
-	return c.Sandbox.Checkpoint(c.ID, imagePath, sfOpts, mfOpts)
+	return c.Sandbox.Checkpoint(c.ID, imagePath, direct, sfOpts, mfOpts)
 }
 
 // Pause suspends the container and its kernel.
diff --git a/runsc/container/container_test.go b/runsc/container/container_test.go
index 275f3f7e2..bdebd8c0f 100644
--- a/runsc/container/container_test.go
+++ b/runsc/container/container_test.go
@@ -1071,7 +1071,7 @@ func testCheckpointRestore(t *testing.T, conf *config.Config, compression statef
 	}
 
 	// Checkpoint running container; save state into new file.
-	if err := cont.Checkpoint(dir, statefile.Options{Compression: compression}, pgalloc.SaveOpts{}); err != nil {
+	if err := cont.Checkpoint(dir, false /* direct */, statefile.Options{Compression: compression}, pgalloc.SaveOpts{}); err != nil {
 		t.Fatalf("error checkpointing container to empty file: %v", err)
 	}
 
@@ -1252,7 +1252,7 @@ func TestCheckpointRestoreExecKilled(t *testing.T) {
 	}
 
 	// Checkpoint running container.
-	if err := cont.Checkpoint(dir, statefile.Options{Compression: statefile.CompressionLevelFlateBestSpeed}, pgalloc.SaveOpts{}); err != nil {
+	if err := cont.Checkpoint(dir, false /* direct */, statefile.Options{Compression: statefile.CompressionLevelFlateBestSpeed}, pgalloc.SaveOpts{}); err != nil {
 		t.Fatalf("error checkpointing container: %v", err)
 	}
 	cont.Destroy()
@@ -1346,7 +1346,7 @@ func TestUnixDomainSockets(t *testing.T) {
 			}
 
 			// Checkpoint running container; save state into new file.
-			if err := cont.Checkpoint(dir, statefile.Options{Compression: statefile.CompressionLevelDefault}, pgalloc.SaveOpts{}); err != nil {
+			if err := cont.Checkpoint(dir, false /* direct */, statefile.Options{Compression: statefile.CompressionLevelDefault}, pgalloc.SaveOpts{}); err != nil {
 				t.Fatalf("error checkpointing container to empty file: %v", err)
 			}
 
diff --git a/runsc/container/multi_container_test.go b/runsc/container/multi_container_test.go
index 4c9154f6b..ddeab1096 100644
--- a/runsc/container/multi_container_test.go
+++ b/runsc/container/multi_container_test.go
@@ -131,7 +131,7 @@ func restoreContainers(conf *config.Config, specs []*specs.Spec, ids []string, i
 		cu.Add(func() { cont.Destroy() })
 		containers = append(containers, cont)
 
-		if err := cont.Restore(conf, imagePath, false); err != nil {
+		if err := cont.Restore(conf, imagePath, false /* direct */); err != nil {
 			return nil, nil, fmt.Errorf("error restoring container: %v", err)
 		}
 
@@ -2747,7 +2747,7 @@ func TestMultiContainerCheckpointRestore(t *testing.T) {
 			}
 
 			// Checkpoint root container; save state into new file.
-			if err := conts[0].Checkpoint(dir, statefile.Options{Compression: statefile.CompressionLevelFlateBestSpeed}, pgalloc.SaveOpts{}); err != nil {
+			if err := conts[0].Checkpoint(dir, false /* direct */, statefile.Options{Compression: statefile.CompressionLevelFlateBestSpeed}, pgalloc.SaveOpts{}); err != nil {
 				t.Fatalf("error checkpointing container to empty file: %v", err)
 			}
 			defer os.RemoveAll(dir)
diff --git a/runsc/sandbox/sandbox.go b/runsc/sandbox/sandbox.go
index 83b207723..2788ca518 100644
--- a/runsc/sandbox/sandbox.go
+++ b/runsc/sandbox/sandbox.go
@@ -1325,7 +1325,7 @@ func (s *Sandbox) SignalProcess(cid string, pid int32, sig unix.Signal, fgProces
 
 // Checkpoint sends the checkpoint call for a container in the sandbox.
 // The statefile will be written to f.
-func (s *Sandbox) Checkpoint(cid string, imagePath string, sfOpts statefile.Options, mfOpts pgalloc.SaveOpts) error {
+func (s *Sandbox) Checkpoint(cid string, imagePath string, direct bool, sfOpts statefile.Options, mfOpts pgalloc.SaveOpts) error {
 	log.Debugf("Checkpoint sandbox %q, statefile options %+v, MemoryFile options %+v", s.ID, sfOpts, mfOpts)
 
 	stateFilePath := filepath.Join(imagePath, boot.CheckpointStateFileName)
@@ -1349,8 +1349,12 @@ func (s *Sandbox) Checkpoint(cid string, imagePath string, sfOpts statefile.Opti
 	// applied during restore. See Restore().
 	if sfOpts.Compression == statefile.CompressionLevelNone {
 		pagesFilePath := filepath.Join(imagePath, boot.CheckpointPagesFileName)
-		// TODO(b/327603247): Implement optional async O_DIRECT write.
-		pf, err := os.OpenFile(pagesFilePath, os.O_CREATE|os.O_EXCL|os.O_RDWR, 0644)
+		pagesWriteFlags := os.O_CREATE | os.O_EXCL | os.O_RDWR
+		if direct {
+			// The writes will be page-aligned, so it can be opened with O_DIRECT.
+			pagesWriteFlags |= syscall.O_DIRECT
+		}
+		pf, err := os.OpenFile(pagesFilePath, pagesWriteFlags, 0644)
 		if err != nil {
 			return fmt.Errorf("creating checkpoint pages file %q: %w", pagesFilePath, err)
 		}