diff --git a/paimon-python/pypaimon/manifest/manifest_file_manager.py b/paimon-python/pypaimon/manifest/manifest_file_manager.py
index f6ae41e3d386..1e6f2ba95357 100644
--- a/paimon-python/pypaimon/manifest/manifest_file_manager.py
+++ b/paimon-python/pypaimon/manifest/manifest_file_manager.py
@@ -160,7 +160,8 @@ def read(self, manifest_file_name: str, manifest_entry_filter=None, drop_stats=T
         return entries
 
     def _get_value_stats_fields(self, file_dict: dict, schema_fields: list) -> List:
-        if file_dict['_VALUE_STATS_COLS'] is None:
+        value_stats_cols = file_dict.get('_VALUE_STATS_COLS')
+        if value_stats_cols is None:
             if '_WRITE_COLS' in file_dict:
                 if file_dict['_WRITE_COLS'] is None:
                     fields = schema_fields
@@ -169,10 +170,10 @@ def _get_value_stats_fields(self, file_dict: dict, schema_fields: list) -> List:
                     fields = [self.table.field_dict[col] for col in read_fields]
             else:
                 fields = schema_fields
-        elif not file_dict['_VALUE_STATS_COLS']:
+        elif not value_stats_cols:
             fields = []
         else:
-            fields = [self.table.field_dict[col] for col in file_dict['_VALUE_STATS_COLS']]
+            fields = [self.table.field_dict[col] for col in value_stats_cols]
         return fields
 
     def write(self, file_name, entries: List[ManifestEntry]):
diff --git a/paimon-python/pypaimon/tests/reader_base_test.py b/paimon-python/pypaimon/tests/reader_base_test.py
index c6223dadcb31..3e0244e3d983 100644
--- a/paimon-python/pypaimon/tests/reader_base_test.py
+++ b/paimon-python/pypaimon/tests/reader_base_test.py
@@ -471,6 +471,9 @@ def test_value_stats_cols_param(self):
             test_name="specific_case"
         )
 
+        # Test case 4: _VALUE_STATS_COLS field is missing (old version manifest files)
+        self._test_value_stats_cols_missing_case(manifest_manager, table)
+
         schema_with_stats = Schema.from_pyarrow_schema(pa_schema, options={'metadata.stats-mode': 'full'})
         catalog.create_table("test_db.test_value_stats_cols_schema_match", schema_with_stats, False)
         table_with_stats = catalog.get_table("test_db.test_value_stats_cols_schema_match")
@@ -813,6 +816,23 @@ def _test_value_stats_cols_case(self, manifest_manager, table, value_stats_cols,
         manifest_file_name = f"manifest-test-{test_name}"
         manifest_manager.write(manifest_file_name, [entry])
 
+        if value_stats_cols is None:
+            from pathlib import Path
+            import fastavro
+            manifest_path = Path(table.table_path) / "manifest" / manifest_file_name
+            with table.file_io.new_input_stream(str(manifest_path)) as f:
+                reader = fastavro.reader(f)
+                records = list(reader)
+                file_dict = records[0]['_FILE']
+                try:
+                    if file_dict['_VALUE_STATS_COLS'] is None:
+                        pass
+                except KeyError:
+                    self.fail(
+                        "_VALUE_STATS_COLS field should be written to manifest file when value is None. "
+                        "Field missing indicates fastavro omitted the None value, which breaks backward compatibility."
+                    )
+
         # Read the manifest entry back
         entries = manifest_manager.read(manifest_file_name, drop_stats=False)
 
@@ -883,6 +903,43 @@ def _test_append_only_schema_match_case(self, table, pa_schema):
             f"but table.fields has {table_field_names}"
         )
 
+    def _test_value_stats_cols_missing_case(self, manifest_manager, table):
+        from io import BytesIO
+        from pathlib import Path
+        import fastavro
+        from pypaimon.manifest.schema.manifest_entry import MANIFEST_ENTRY_SCHEMA
+        from pypaimon.table.row.binary_row import BinaryRow
+        from pypaimon.table.row.generic_row import GenericRow, GenericRowSerializer
+
+        empty_row_bytes = GenericRowSerializer.to_bytes(BinaryRow(b'\x00' * 12, []))
+        empty_generic_row = GenericRow([], [])
+        manifest_file_name = "manifest-missing-value-stats-cols-test"
+        manifest_path = Path(table.table_path) / "manifest" / manifest_file_name
+        manifest_path.parent.mkdir(parents=True, exist_ok=True)
+
+        file_dict = {
+            "_FILE_NAME": "test.parquet", "_FILE_SIZE": 1000, "_ROW_COUNT": 10,
+            "_MIN_KEY": GenericRowSerializer.to_bytes(empty_generic_row),
+            "_MAX_KEY": GenericRowSerializer.to_bytes(empty_generic_row),
+            "_KEY_STATS": {"_MIN_VALUES": empty_row_bytes, "_MAX_VALUES": empty_row_bytes, "_NULL_COUNTS": []},
+            "_VALUE_STATS": {"_MIN_VALUES": empty_row_bytes, "_MAX_VALUES": empty_row_bytes, "_NULL_COUNTS": []},
+            "_MIN_SEQUENCE_NUMBER": 1, "_MAX_SEQUENCE_NUMBER": 10, "_SCHEMA_ID": 0, "_LEVEL": 0,
+            "_EXTRA_FILES": [], "_CREATION_TIME": None, "_DELETE_ROW_COUNT": None,
+            "_EMBEDDED_FILE_INDEX": None, "_FILE_SOURCE": None, "_EXTERNAL_PATH": None,
+        }
+
+        buffer = BytesIO()
+        fastavro.writer(buffer, MANIFEST_ENTRY_SCHEMA, [{
+            "_VERSION": 2, "_KIND": 0, "_PARTITION": GenericRowSerializer.to_bytes(empty_generic_row),
+            "_BUCKET": 0, "_TOTAL_BUCKETS": 1, "_FILE": file_dict
+        }])
+        with table.file_io.new_output_stream(str(manifest_path)) as out:
+            out.write(buffer.getvalue())
+
+        entries = manifest_manager.read(manifest_file_name, drop_stats=False)
+        self.assertEqual(len(entries), 1)
+        self.assertIsNone(entries[0].file.value_stats_cols)  # Should be None when field is missing
+
     def test_primary_key_value_stats(self):
         pa_schema = pa.schema([
             ('id', pa.int64()),