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Abstract The acoustic vector sensor (AVS) array is a powerful tool for underwater target’s direction-of-arrival (DOA) estimation without any bearing ambiguities. However, traditional DOA estimation algorithms generally suffer from low signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) as well as snapshot deficiency. By exploiting the properties of the minimum variance distortionless response (MVDR) beamformer, a new DOA estimation method basing on matched steering vector searching is proposed in this article. Firstly, attain the rough estimate of the desired DOA using the traditional algorithms. Secondly, set a small angular interval around the crudely estimated DOA. Thirdly, make the view direction vary in the view interval, and for each view direction, calculate the beam amplitude response of the MVDR beamformer, and find the minimum of the amplitude response. Finally, the pseudo-spatial spectrum is achieved, and the accurate estimate of the desired DOA can be obtained through peak searching. Computer simulations verify that the proposed method is efficient in DOA estimation, especially in low SNR and insufficient snapshot data scenarios.