diff --git a/src/runtime/pkg/govmm/qemu/examples_test.go b/src/runtime/pkg/govmm/qemu/examples_test.go
index 03e52b87ac..1a3f2e8ffb 100644
--- a/src/runtime/pkg/govmm/qemu/examples_test.go
+++ b/src/runtime/pkg/govmm/qemu/examples_test.go
@@ -27,13 +27,16 @@ func Example() {
 	// resources
 	params = append(params, "-m", "370", "-smp", "cpus=2")
 
-	// LaunchCustomQemu should return as soon as the instance has launched as we
-	// are using the --daemonize flag.  It will set up a unix domain socket
-	// called /tmp/qmp-socket that we can use to manage the instance.
-	_, err := qemu.LaunchCustomQemu(context.Background(), "", params, nil, nil, nil)
+	// LaunchCustomQemu should return immediately. We must then wait
+	// the returned process to terminate as we are using the --daemonize
+	// flag.
+	// It will set up a unix domain socket called /tmp/qmp-socket that we
+	// can use to manage the instance.
+	proc, err := qemu.LaunchCustomQemu(context.Background(), "", params, nil, nil, nil)
 	if err != nil {
 		panic(err)
 	}
+	proc.Wait()
 
 	// This channel will be closed when the instance dies.
 	disconnectedCh := make(chan struct{})
diff --git a/src/runtime/pkg/govmm/qemu/qemu.go b/src/runtime/pkg/govmm/qemu/qemu.go
index d665c0c7a4..cecd2d2bb7 100644
--- a/src/runtime/pkg/govmm/qemu/qemu.go
+++ b/src/runtime/pkg/govmm/qemu/qemu.go
@@ -14,7 +14,6 @@
 package qemu
 
 import (
-	"bytes"
 	"context"
 	"fmt"
 	"log"
@@ -2985,12 +2984,8 @@ func (config *Config) appendFwCfg(logger QMPLog) {
 //
 // The Config parameter contains a set of qemu parameters and settings.
 //
-// This function writes its log output via logger parameter.
-//
-// The function will block until the launched qemu process exits.  "", nil
-// will be returned if the launch succeeds.  Otherwise a string containing
-// the contents of stderr + a Go error object will be returned.
-func LaunchQemu(config Config, logger QMPLog) (string, error) {
+// See LaunchCustomQemu for more information.
+func LaunchQemu(config Config, logger QMPLog) (*exec.Cmd, error) {
 	config.appendName()
 	config.appendUUID()
 	config.appendMachine()
@@ -3013,7 +3008,7 @@ func LaunchQemu(config Config, logger QMPLog) (string, error) {
 	config.appendSeccompSandbox()
 
 	if err := config.appendCPUs(); err != nil {
-		return "", err
+		return nil, err
 	}
 
 	ctx := config.Ctx
@@ -3044,17 +3039,15 @@ func LaunchQemu(config Config, logger QMPLog) (string, error) {
 //
 // This function writes its log output via logger parameter.
 //
-// The function will block until the launched qemu process exits.  "", nil
-// will be returned if the launch succeeds.  Otherwise a string containing
-// the contents of stderr + a Go error object will be returned.
+// The function returns cmd, nil where cmd is a Go exec.Cmd object
+// representing the QEMU process if launched successfully. Otherwise
+// nil, err where err is a Go error object is returned.
 func LaunchCustomQemu(ctx context.Context, path string, params []string, fds []*os.File,
-	attr *syscall.SysProcAttr, logger QMPLog) (string, error) {
+	attr *syscall.SysProcAttr, logger QMPLog) (*exec.Cmd, error) {
 	if logger == nil {
 		logger = qmpNullLogger{}
 	}
 
-	errStr := ""
-
 	if path == "" {
 		path = "qemu-system-x86_64"
 	}
@@ -3068,15 +3061,12 @@ func LaunchCustomQemu(ctx context.Context, path string, params []string, fds []*
 
 	cmd.SysProcAttr = attr
 
-	var stderr bytes.Buffer
-	cmd.Stderr = &stderr
 	logger.Infof("launching %s with: %v", path, params)
 
-	err := cmd.Run()
+	err := cmd.Start()
 	if err != nil {
 		logger.Errorf("Unable to launch %s: %v", path, err)
-		errStr = stderr.String()
-		logger.Errorf("%s", errStr)
+		return nil, err
 	}
-	return errStr, err
+	return cmd, nil
 }
diff --git a/src/runtime/virtcontainers/qemu.go b/src/runtime/virtcontainers/qemu.go
index f2d4711371..8781747987 100644
--- a/src/runtime/virtcontainers/qemu.go
+++ b/src/runtime/virtcontainers/qemu.go
@@ -941,17 +941,16 @@ func (q *qemu) StartVM(ctx context.Context, timeout int) error {
 
 	}
 
-	var strErr string
-	strErr, err = govmmQemu.LaunchQemu(q.qemuConfig, newQMPLogger())
+	qemuCmd, err := govmmQemu.LaunchQemu(q.qemuConfig, newQMPLogger())
 	if err != nil {
-		if q.config.Debug && q.qemuConfig.LogFile != "" {
-			b, err := os.ReadFile(q.qemuConfig.LogFile)
-			if err == nil {
-				strErr += string(b)
-			}
-		}
-		q.Logger().WithError(err).Errorf("failed to launch qemu: %s", strErr)
-		return fmt.Errorf("failed to launch qemu: %s, error messages from qemu log: %s", err, strErr)
+		q.Logger().WithError(err).Error("failed to launch qemu")
+		return fmt.Errorf("failed to launch qemu: %s", err)
+	}
+	if q.qemuConfig.Knobs.Daemonize {
+		// LaunchQemu returns a handle on the upper QEMU process.
+		// Wait for it to exit to assume that the QEMU daemon was
+		// actually started.
+		qemuCmd.Wait()
 	}
 
 	err = q.waitVM(ctx, qmpConn, timeout)