diff --git a/pubsub/service.go b/pubsub/service.go
index 1a29df03ecb..e8d636a01bb 100644
--- a/pubsub/service.go
+++ b/pubsub/service.go
@@ -47,7 +47,7 @@ type defaultRetryer struct {
 }
 
 // Logic originally from
-// https://github.com/GoogleCloudPlatform/google-cloud-java/blob/master/google-cloud-clients/google-cloud-pubsub/src/main/java/com/google/cloud/pubsub/v1/StatusUtil.java
+// https://github.com/googleapis/java-pubsub/blob/main/google-cloud-pubsub/src/main/java/com/google/cloud/pubsub/v1/StatusUtil.java
 func (r *defaultRetryer) Retry(err error) (pause time.Duration, shouldRetry bool) {
 	s, ok := status.FromError(err)
 	if !ok { // includes io.EOF, normal stream close, which causes us to reopen
@@ -91,3 +91,18 @@ func (r *streamingPullRetryer) Retry(err error) (pause time.Duration, shouldRetr
 		return r.defaultRetryer.Retry(err)
 	}
 }
+
+type publishRetryer struct {
+	defaultRetryer gax.Retryer
+}
+
+func (r *publishRetryer) Retry(err error) (pause time.Duration, shouldRetry bool) {
+	s, ok := status.FromError(err)
+	if !ok {
+		return r.defaultRetryer.Retry(err)
+	}
+	if s.Code() == codes.Internal && strings.Contains(s.Message(), "string field contains invalid UTF-8") {
+		return 0, false
+	}
+	return r.defaultRetryer.Retry(err)
+}
diff --git a/pubsub/topic.go b/pubsub/topic.go
index 9d5ab8b3556..a90503cc8a6 100644
--- a/pubsub/topic.go
+++ b/pubsub/topic.go
@@ -675,10 +675,19 @@ func (t *Topic) publishMessageBundle(ctx context.Context, bms []*bundledMessage)
 	if orderingKey != "" && t.scheduler.IsPaused(orderingKey) {
 		err = fmt.Errorf("pubsub: Publishing for ordering key, %s, paused due to previous error. Call topic.ResumePublish(orderingKey) before resuming publishing", orderingKey)
 	} else {
+		// Apply custom publish retryer on top of user specified retryer and
+		// default retryer.
+		opts := t.c.pubc.CallOptions.Publish
+		var settings gax.CallSettings
+		for _, opt := range opts {
+			opt.Resolve(&settings)
+		}
+		r := &publishRetryer{defaultRetryer: settings.Retry()}
 		res, err = t.c.pubc.Publish(ctx, &pb.PublishRequest{
 			Topic:    t.name,
 			Messages: pbMsgs,
-		}, gax.WithGRPCOptions(grpc.MaxCallSendMsgSize(maxSendRecvBytes)))
+		}, gax.WithGRPCOptions(grpc.MaxCallSendMsgSize(maxSendRecvBytes)),
+			gax.WithRetry(func() gax.Retryer { return r }))
 	}
 	end := time.Now()
 	if err != nil {
diff --git a/pubsub/topic_test.go b/pubsub/topic_test.go
index 33f095abc92..9115b43ab8a 100644
--- a/pubsub/topic_test.go
+++ b/pubsub/topic_test.go
@@ -18,6 +18,7 @@ import (
 	"bytes"
 	"context"
 	"fmt"
+	"strings"
 	"sync"
 	"testing"
 	"time"
@@ -584,6 +585,30 @@ func TestPublishFlowControl_Block(t *testing.T) {
 	publish4Completed.Wait()
 }
 
+func TestInvalidUTF8(t *testing.T) {
+	ctx := context.Background()
+	c, srv := newFake(t)
+	defer c.Close()
+	defer srv.Close()
+
+	topic, err := c.CreateTopic(ctx, "invalid-utf8-topic")
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Fatal(err)
+	}
+	res := topic.Publish(ctx, &Message{
+		Data: []byte("foo"),
+		Attributes: map[string]string{
+			"attr": "a\xc5z",
+		},
+	})
+	ctx, cancel := context.WithTimeout(ctx, 30*time.Second)
+	defer cancel()
+	_, err = res.Get(ctx)
+	if err == nil || !strings.Contains(err.Error(), "string field contains invalid UTF-8") {
+		t.Fatalf("expected invalid UTF-8 error, got: %v", err)
+	}
+}
+
 // publishSingleMessage publishes a single message to a topic.
 func publishSingleMessage(ctx context.Context, t *Topic, data string) *PublishResult {
 	return t.Publish(ctx, &Message{