Red-shanked doucs live in fission-fusion, multilevel societies that have a mean of 18 individuals per band. They are folivorous and consume mainly Acacia pruinescens, Ficus racemosa, Millettia nigrescens, Zanthoxylum avicennae and Castanopsis ceratacantha. Their four-chambered stomachs that allow for bacterial fermentation help them with their high-fiber diet.
The red-shanked douc is native to Indochina; Vietnam, southern Laos and possibly northeastern Cambodia, east of the Mekong river. Before 1967, the douc was completely unstudied.[citation needed] It is the only douc species that inhabits all three countries of Indochina. In Laos, red-shanked doucs occur from the southern Nam Ghong Provincial Protected Area to the central-north part of the country. Laos is believed to have the largest population of red-shanked doucs, with Nakai-Nam Theun National Protected Area in central Laos having the most individuals of approximately 4,420 groups, followed by the Hin Namno National Protected Area. In Vietnam, the species lives between Nghe An and Gia Lai provinces, from 18°29'N to 14°21'N. The Son Tra Nature Reserve in central Vietnam holds the greatest Vietnamese population with approximately 700–1300 individuals. The Phong Nha – Kẻ Bàng National Park is also an important Vietnamese site for the species.