diff --git a/go/mysql/schema.go b/go/mysql/schema.go
index 218d04d858..2a09b993db 100644
--- a/go/mysql/schema.go
+++ b/go/mysql/schema.go
@@ -97,15 +97,18 @@ select table_schema, table_name, column_name, ordinal_position, character_set_na
 from information_schema.columns 
 where table_schema = database()`
 
+	// fetchColumns are the columns we fetch
+	fetchColumns = "table_name, column_name, data_type, collation_name"
+
 	// FetchUpdatedTables queries fetches all information about updated tables
-	FetchUpdatedTables = `select table_name, column_name, data_type 
+	FetchUpdatedTables = `select  ` + fetchColumns + `
 from _vt.schemacopy 
 where table_schema = database() and 
 	table_name in ::tableNames 
 order by table_name, ordinal_position`
 
 	// FetchTables queries fetches all information about tables
-	FetchTables = `select table_name, column_name, data_type 
+	FetchTables = `select ` + fetchColumns + ` 
 from _vt.schemacopy 
 where table_schema = database() 
 order by table_name, ordinal_position`
diff --git a/go/vt/vtgate/schema/tracker.go b/go/vt/vtgate/schema/tracker.go
index 82e39ee58d..cf221a159e 100644
--- a/go/vt/vtgate/schema/tracker.go
+++ b/go/vt/vtgate/schema/tracker.go
@@ -196,9 +196,10 @@ func (t *Tracker) updateTables(keyspace string, res *sqltypes.Result) {
 		tbl := row[0].ToString()
 		colName := row[1].ToString()
 		colType := row[2].ToString()
+		collation := row[3].ToString()
 
 		cType := sqlparser.ColumnType{Type: colType}
-		col := vindexes.Column{Name: sqlparser.NewColIdent(colName), Type: cType.SQLType()}
+		col := vindexes.Column{Name: sqlparser.NewColIdent(colName), Type: cType.SQLType(), CollationName: collation}
 		cols := t.tables.get(keyspace, tbl)
 
 		t.tables.set(keyspace, tbl, append(cols, col))
diff --git a/go/vt/vtgate/schema/tracker_test.go b/go/vt/vtgate/schema/tracker_test.go
index 3d343f2cac..049270752a 100644
--- a/go/vt/vtgate/schema/tracker_test.go
+++ b/go/vt/vtgate/schema/tracker_test.go
@@ -50,7 +50,10 @@ func TestTracking(t *testing.T) {
 		Shard:    target.Shard,
 		Type:     target.TabletType,
 	}
-	fields := sqltypes.MakeTestFields("table_name|col_name|col_type", "varchar|varchar|varchar")
+	fields := sqltypes.MakeTestFields(
+		"table_name|col_name|col_type|collation_name",
+		"varchar|varchar|varchar|varchar",
+	)
 
 	type delta struct {
 		result *sqltypes.Result
@@ -60,7 +63,7 @@ func TestTracking(t *testing.T) {
 		d0 = delta{
 			result: sqltypes.MakeTestResult(
 				fields,
-				"prior|id|int",
+				"prior|id|int|",
 			),
 			updTbl: []string{"prior"},
 		}
@@ -68,9 +71,9 @@ func TestTracking(t *testing.T) {
 		d1 = delta{
 			result: sqltypes.MakeTestResult(
 				fields,
-				"t1|id|int",
-				"t1|name|varchar",
-				"t2|id|varchar",
+				"t1|id|int|",
+				"t1|name|varchar|utf8_bin",
+				"t2|id|varchar|utf8_bin",
 			),
 			updTbl: []string{"t1", "t2"},
 		}
@@ -78,9 +81,9 @@ func TestTracking(t *testing.T) {
 		d2 = delta{
 			result: sqltypes.MakeTestResult(
 				fields,
-				"t2|id|varchar",
-				"t2|name|varchar",
-				"t3|id|datetime",
+				"t2|id|varchar|utf8_bin",
+				"t2|name|varchar|utf8_bin",
+				"t3|id|datetime|",
 			),
 			updTbl: []string{"prior", "t1", "t2", "t3"},
 		}
@@ -88,7 +91,7 @@ func TestTracking(t *testing.T) {
 		d3 = delta{
 			result: sqltypes.MakeTestResult(
 				fields,
-				"t4|name|varchar",
+				"t4|name|varchar|utf8_bin",
 			),
 			updTbl: []string{"t4"},
 		}
@@ -104,9 +107,9 @@ func TestTracking(t *testing.T) {
 		exp: map[string][]vindexes.Column{
 			"t1": {
 				{Name: sqlparser.NewColIdent("id"), Type: querypb.Type_INT32},
-				{Name: sqlparser.NewColIdent("name"), Type: querypb.Type_VARCHAR}},
+				{Name: sqlparser.NewColIdent("name"), Type: querypb.Type_VARCHAR, CollationName: "utf8_bin"}},
 			"t2": {
-				{Name: sqlparser.NewColIdent("id"), Type: querypb.Type_VARCHAR}},
+				{Name: sqlparser.NewColIdent("id"), Type: querypb.Type_VARCHAR, CollationName: "utf8_bin"}},
 			"prior": {
 				{Name: sqlparser.NewColIdent("id"), Type: querypb.Type_INT32}},
 		},
@@ -115,8 +118,8 @@ func TestTracking(t *testing.T) {
 		deltas: []delta{d0, d1, d2},
 		exp: map[string][]vindexes.Column{
 			"t2": {
-				{Name: sqlparser.NewColIdent("id"), Type: querypb.Type_VARCHAR},
-				{Name: sqlparser.NewColIdent("name"), Type: querypb.Type_VARCHAR}},
+				{Name: sqlparser.NewColIdent("id"), Type: querypb.Type_VARCHAR, CollationName: "utf8_bin"},
+				{Name: sqlparser.NewColIdent("name"), Type: querypb.Type_VARCHAR, CollationName: "utf8_bin"}},
 			"t3": {
 				{Name: sqlparser.NewColIdent("id"), Type: querypb.Type_DATETIME}},
 		},
@@ -125,12 +128,12 @@ func TestTracking(t *testing.T) {
 		deltas: []delta{d0, d1, d2, d3},
 		exp: map[string][]vindexes.Column{
 			"t2": {
-				{Name: sqlparser.NewColIdent("id"), Type: querypb.Type_VARCHAR},
-				{Name: sqlparser.NewColIdent("name"), Type: querypb.Type_VARCHAR}},
+				{Name: sqlparser.NewColIdent("id"), Type: querypb.Type_VARCHAR, CollationName: "utf8_bin"},
+				{Name: sqlparser.NewColIdent("name"), Type: querypb.Type_VARCHAR, CollationName: "utf8_bin"}},
 			"t3": {
 				{Name: sqlparser.NewColIdent("id"), Type: querypb.Type_DATETIME}},
 			"t4": {
-				{Name: sqlparser.NewColIdent("name"), Type: querypb.Type_VARCHAR}},
+				{Name: sqlparser.NewColIdent("name"), Type: querypb.Type_VARCHAR, CollationName: "utf8_bin"}},
 		},
 	},
 	}
diff --git a/go/vt/vtgate/vindexes/vschema.go b/go/vt/vtgate/vindexes/vschema.go
index 5bd07b8bfc..d9a5fecab6 100644
--- a/go/vt/vtgate/vindexes/vschema.go
+++ b/go/vt/vtgate/vindexes/vschema.go
@@ -112,8 +112,9 @@ type ColumnVindex struct {
 
 // Column describes a column.
 type Column struct {
-	Name sqlparser.ColIdent `json:"name"`
-	Type querypb.Type       `json:"type"`
+	Name          sqlparser.ColIdent `json:"name"`
+	Type          querypb.Type       `json:"type"`
+	CollationName string             `json:"collation_name"`
 }
 
 // MarshalJSON returns a JSON representation of Column.