diff --git a/library/core/src/main/java/com/google/android/exoplayer2/text/ttml/TtmlDecoder.java b/library/core/src/main/java/com/google/android/exoplayer2/text/ttml/TtmlDecoder.java
index e9d6d88c4a..611eb7ff2f 100644
--- a/library/core/src/main/java/com/google/android/exoplayer2/text/ttml/TtmlDecoder.java
+++ b/library/core/src/main/java/com/google/android/exoplayer2/text/ttml/TtmlDecoder.java
@@ -444,6 +444,26 @@ public final class TtmlDecoder extends SimpleSubtitleDecoder {
     }
 
     float regionTextHeight = 1.0f / cellResolution.rows;
+
+    @Cue.VerticalType int verticalType = Cue.TYPE_UNSET;
+    @Nullable
+    String writingDirection =
+        XmlPullParserUtil.getAttributeValue(xmlParser, TtmlNode.ATTR_TTS_WRITING_MODE);
+    if (writingDirection != null) {
+      switch (Util.toLowerInvariant(writingDirection)) {
+          // TODO: Support horizontal RTL modes.
+        case TtmlNode.VERTICAL:
+        case TtmlNode.VERTICAL_LR:
+          verticalType = Cue.VERTICAL_TYPE_LR;
+          break;
+        case TtmlNode.VERTICAL_RL:
+          verticalType = Cue.VERTICAL_TYPE_RL;
+          break;
+        default:
+          // ignore
+          break;
+      }
+    }
     return new TtmlRegion(
         regionId,
         position,
@@ -453,7 +473,8 @@ public final class TtmlDecoder extends SimpleSubtitleDecoder {
         width,
         height,
         /* textSizeType= */ Cue.TEXT_SIZE_TYPE_FRACTIONAL_IGNORE_PADDING,
-        /* textSize= */ regionTextHeight);
+        /* textSize= */ regionTextHeight,
+        verticalType);
   }
 
   private static String[] parseStyleIds(String parentStyleIds) {
@@ -588,21 +609,6 @@ public final class TtmlDecoder extends SimpleSubtitleDecoder {
               break;
           }
           break;
-        case TtmlNode.ATTR_TTS_WRITING_MODE:
-          switch (Util.toLowerInvariant(attributeValue)) {
-              // TODO: Support horizontal RTL modes.
-            case TtmlNode.VERTICAL:
-            case TtmlNode.VERTICAL_LR:
-              style = createIfNull(style).setVerticalType(Cue.VERTICAL_TYPE_LR);
-              break;
-            case TtmlNode.VERTICAL_RL:
-              style = createIfNull(style).setVerticalType(Cue.VERTICAL_TYPE_RL);
-              break;
-            default:
-              // ignore
-              break;
-          }
-          break;
         default:
           // ignore
           break;
diff --git a/library/core/src/main/java/com/google/android/exoplayer2/text/ttml/TtmlNode.java b/library/core/src/main/java/com/google/android/exoplayer2/text/ttml/TtmlNode.java
index 4c51f97247..8e516dedf1 100644
--- a/library/core/src/main/java/com/google/android/exoplayer2/text/ttml/TtmlNode.java
+++ b/library/core/src/main/java/com/google/android/exoplayer2/text/ttml/TtmlNode.java
@@ -268,6 +268,7 @@ import org.checkerframework.checker.nullness.qual.MonotonicNonNull;
               .setLineAnchor(region.lineAnchor)
               .setSize(region.width)
               .setBitmapHeight(region.height)
+              .setVerticalType(region.verticalType)
               .build());
     }
 
@@ -281,6 +282,7 @@ import org.checkerframework.checker.nullness.qual.MonotonicNonNull;
       regionOutput.setPosition(region.position);
       regionOutput.setSize(region.width);
       regionOutput.setTextSize(region.textSize, region.textSizeType);
+      regionOutput.setVerticalType(region.verticalType);
       cues.add(regionOutput.build());
     }
 
@@ -380,9 +382,7 @@ import org.checkerframework.checker.nullness.qual.MonotonicNonNull;
     }
     if (resolvedStyle != null) {
       TtmlRenderUtil.applyStylesToSpan(text, start, end, resolvedStyle, parent, globalStyles);
-      regionOutput
-          .setTextAlignment(resolvedStyle.getTextAlign())
-          .setVerticalType(resolvedStyle.getVerticalType());
+      regionOutput.setTextAlignment(resolvedStyle.getTextAlign());
     }
   }
 
diff --git a/library/core/src/main/java/com/google/android/exoplayer2/text/ttml/TtmlRegion.java b/library/core/src/main/java/com/google/android/exoplayer2/text/ttml/TtmlRegion.java
index 3cbc25d4b2..36c862568f 100644
--- a/library/core/src/main/java/com/google/android/exoplayer2/text/ttml/TtmlRegion.java
+++ b/library/core/src/main/java/com/google/android/exoplayer2/text/ttml/TtmlRegion.java
@@ -25,12 +25,13 @@ import com.google.android.exoplayer2.text.Cue;
   public final String id;
   public final float position;
   public final float line;
-  public final @Cue.LineType int lineType;
-  public final @Cue.AnchorType int lineAnchor;
+  @Cue.LineType public final int lineType;
+  @Cue.AnchorType public final int lineAnchor;
   public final float width;
   public final float height;
-  public final @Cue.TextSizeType int textSizeType;
+  @Cue.TextSizeType public final int textSizeType;
   public final float textSize;
+  @Cue.VerticalType public final int verticalType;
 
   public TtmlRegion(String id) {
     this(
@@ -42,7 +43,8 @@ import com.google.android.exoplayer2.text.Cue;
         /* width= */ Cue.DIMEN_UNSET,
         /* height= */ Cue.DIMEN_UNSET,
         /* textSizeType= */ Cue.TYPE_UNSET,
-        /* textSize= */ Cue.DIMEN_UNSET);
+        /* textSize= */ Cue.DIMEN_UNSET,
+        /* verticalType= */ Cue.TYPE_UNSET);
   }
 
   public TtmlRegion(
@@ -54,7 +56,8 @@ import com.google.android.exoplayer2.text.Cue;
       float width,
       float height,
       int textSizeType,
-      float textSize) {
+      float textSize,
+      @Cue.VerticalType int verticalType) {
     this.id = id;
     this.position = position;
     this.line = line;
@@ -64,6 +67,7 @@ import com.google.android.exoplayer2.text.Cue;
     this.height = height;
     this.textSizeType = textSizeType;
     this.textSize = textSize;
+    this.verticalType = verticalType;
   }
 
 }
diff --git a/library/core/src/main/java/com/google/android/exoplayer2/text/ttml/TtmlStyle.java b/library/core/src/main/java/com/google/android/exoplayer2/text/ttml/TtmlStyle.java
index 928af3620c..3ca519660d 100644
--- a/library/core/src/main/java/com/google/android/exoplayer2/text/ttml/TtmlStyle.java
+++ b/library/core/src/main/java/com/google/android/exoplayer2/text/ttml/TtmlStyle.java
@@ -19,8 +19,6 @@ import android.graphics.Typeface;
 import android.text.Layout;
 import androidx.annotation.IntDef;
 import androidx.annotation.Nullable;
-import com.google.android.exoplayer2.text.Cue;
-import com.google.android.exoplayer2.text.Cue.VerticalType;
 import com.google.android.exoplayer2.text.span.RubySpan;
 import java.lang.annotation.Documented;
 import java.lang.annotation.Retention;
@@ -88,7 +86,6 @@ import java.lang.annotation.RetentionPolicy;
   @RubySpan.Position private int rubyPosition;
   @Nullable private Layout.Alignment textAlign;
   @OptionalBoolean private int textCombine;
-  @Cue.VerticalType private int verticalType;
 
   public TtmlStyle() {
     linethrough = UNSPECIFIED;
@@ -99,7 +96,6 @@ import java.lang.annotation.RetentionPolicy;
     rubyType = UNSPECIFIED;
     rubyPosition = RubySpan.POSITION_UNKNOWN;
     textCombine = UNSPECIFIED;
-    verticalType = Cue.TYPE_UNSET;
   }
 
   /**
@@ -249,9 +245,6 @@ import java.lang.annotation.RetentionPolicy;
       if (chaining && rubyType == UNSPECIFIED && ancestor.rubyType != UNSPECIFIED) {
         rubyType = ancestor.rubyType;
       }
-      if (chaining && verticalType == Cue.TYPE_UNSET && ancestor.verticalType != Cue.TYPE_UNSET) {
-        setVerticalType(ancestor.verticalType);
-      }
     }
     return this;
   }
@@ -323,14 +316,4 @@ import java.lang.annotation.RetentionPolicy;
   public float getFontSize() {
     return fontSize;
   }
-
-  public TtmlStyle setVerticalType(@VerticalType int verticalType) {
-    this.verticalType = verticalType;
-    return this;
-  }
-
-  @VerticalType
-  public int getVerticalType() {
-    return verticalType;
-  }
 }
diff --git a/library/core/src/test/java/com/google/android/exoplayer2/text/ttml/TtmlStyleTest.java b/library/core/src/test/java/com/google/android/exoplayer2/text/ttml/TtmlStyleTest.java
index 4f75c50b12..a3ad1ba599 100644
--- a/library/core/src/test/java/com/google/android/exoplayer2/text/ttml/TtmlStyleTest.java
+++ b/library/core/src/test/java/com/google/android/exoplayer2/text/ttml/TtmlStyleTest.java
@@ -28,7 +28,6 @@ import android.graphics.Color;
 import android.text.Layout;
 import androidx.annotation.ColorInt;
 import androidx.test.ext.junit.runners.AndroidJUnit4;
-import com.google.android.exoplayer2.text.Cue;
 import com.google.android.exoplayer2.text.span.RubySpan;
 import org.junit.Test;
 import org.junit.runner.RunWith;
@@ -47,7 +46,6 @@ public final class TtmlStyleTest {
   private static final int RUBY_POSITION = RubySpan.POSITION_UNDER;
   private static final Layout.Alignment TEXT_ALIGN = Layout.Alignment.ALIGN_CENTER;
   private static final boolean TEXT_COMBINE = true;
-  @Cue.VerticalType private static final int VERTICAL_TYPE = Cue.VERTICAL_TYPE_RL;
 
   private final TtmlStyle populatedStyle =
       new TtmlStyle()
@@ -64,8 +62,7 @@ public final class TtmlStyleTest {
           .setRubyType(RUBY_TYPE)
           .setRubyPosition(RUBY_POSITION)
           .setTextAlign(TEXT_ALIGN)
-          .setTextCombine(TEXT_COMBINE)
-          .setVerticalType(VERTICAL_TYPE);
+          .setTextCombine(TEXT_COMBINE);
 
   @Test
   public void inheritStyle() {
@@ -89,9 +86,6 @@ public final class TtmlStyleTest {
     assertWithMessage("backgroundColor should not be inherited")
         .that(style.hasBackgroundColor())
         .isFalse();
-    assertWithMessage("verticalType should not be inherited")
-        .that(style.getVerticalType())
-        .isEqualTo(Cue.TYPE_UNSET);
   }
 
   @Test
@@ -115,9 +109,6 @@ public final class TtmlStyleTest {
         .that(style.getBackgroundColor())
         .isEqualTo(BACKGROUND_COLOR);
     assertWithMessage("rubyType should be chained").that(style.getRubyType()).isEqualTo(RUBY_TYPE);
-    assertWithMessage("verticalType should be chained")
-        .that(style.getVerticalType())
-        .isEqualTo(VERTICAL_TYPE);
   }
 
   @Test
diff --git a/testdata/src/test/assets/ttml/vertical_text.xml b/testdata/src/test/assets/ttml/vertical_text.xml
index 181e93114c..49bbb3caab 100644
--- a/testdata/src/test/assets/ttml/vertical_text.xml
+++ b/testdata/src/test/assets/ttml/vertical_text.xml
@@ -3,12 +3,19 @@
     xmlns:tts="http://www.w3.org/2006/10/ttaf1#style"
     xmlns="http://www.w3.org/ns/ttml"
     xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2006/10/ttaf1">
+  <head>
+    <layout>
+      <region id="right-to-left" tts:extent="80% 80%" tts:origin="10% 10%" tts:writingMode="tbrl" />
+      <region id="left-to-right" tts:extent="80% 80%" tts:origin="10% 10%" tts:writingMode="tblr" />
+    </layout>
+  </head>
+
   <body>
     <div>
-      <p begin="10s" end="18s" tts:writingMode="tbrl">Vertical right-to-left (e.g. Japanese)</p>
+      <p begin="10s" end="18s" region="right-to-left">Vertical right-to-left (e.g. Japanese)</p>
     </div>
     <div>
-      <p begin="20s" end="28s" tts:writingMode="tblr">Vertical left-to-right (e.g. Mongolian)</p>
+      <p begin="20s" end="28s" region="left-to-right">Vertical left-to-right (e.g. Mongolian)</p>
     </div>
     <div>
       <p begin="30s" end="38s">Horizontal text</p>