diff --git a/noodles-sam/src/header/parser.rs b/noodles-sam/src/header/parser.rs
index f2aa9f31b..b409bc638 100644
--- a/noodles-sam/src/header/parser.rs
+++ b/noodles-sam/src/header/parser.rs
@@ -151,16 +151,16 @@ impl Parser {
 }
 
 fn extract_version(src: &[u8]) -> Option<Version> {
+    use self::record::value::map::header::parse_version;
+
     const RECORD_PREFIX: &[u8] = b"@HD\t";
     const DELIMITER: u8 = b'\t';
     const FIELD_PREFIX: &[u8] = b"VN:";
 
     if let Some(raw_value) = src.strip_prefix(RECORD_PREFIX) {
         for raw_field in raw_value.split(|&b| b == DELIMITER) {
-            if let Some(raw_version) = raw_field.strip_prefix(FIELD_PREFIX) {
-                return str::from_utf8(raw_version)
-                    .ok()
-                    .and_then(|s| s.parse().ok());
+            if let Some(s) = raw_field.strip_prefix(FIELD_PREFIX) {
+                return parse_version(s).ok();
             }
         }
     }
diff --git a/noodles-sam/src/header/parser/record.rs b/noodles-sam/src/header/parser/record.rs
index a5b244fca..27cf7400b 100644
--- a/noodles-sam/src/header/parser/record.rs
+++ b/noodles-sam/src/header/parser/record.rs
@@ -1,5 +1,5 @@
 mod kind;
-mod value;
+pub(crate) mod value;
 
 use std::{error, fmt};
 
diff --git a/noodles-sam/src/header/parser/record/value.rs b/noodles-sam/src/header/parser/record/value.rs
index f2c4254da..f7b3d4932 100644
--- a/noodles-sam/src/header/parser/record/value.rs
+++ b/noodles-sam/src/header/parser/record/value.rs
@@ -1,5 +1,5 @@
 mod comment;
-mod map;
+pub(crate) mod map;
 
 use std::{error, fmt};
 
diff --git a/noodles-sam/src/header/parser/record/value/map/header.rs b/noodles-sam/src/header/parser/record/value/map/header.rs
index 5072df06c..f74b4a936 100644
--- a/noodles-sam/src/header/parser/record/value/map/header.rs
+++ b/noodles-sam/src/header/parser/record/value/map/header.rs
@@ -4,7 +4,7 @@ use std::{error, fmt};
 
 use bstr::{BStr, BString};
 
-use self::version::parse_version;
+pub(crate) use self::version::parse_version;
 use super::field::{consume_delimiter, consume_separator, parse_tag, parse_value, value};
 use crate::header::{
     parser::Context,
diff --git a/noodles-sam/src/header/parser/record/value/map/header/version.rs b/noodles-sam/src/header/parser/record/value/map/header/version.rs
index 736f34e80..40275e614 100644
--- a/noodles-sam/src/header/parser/record/value/map/header/version.rs
+++ b/noodles-sam/src/header/parser/record/value/map/header/version.rs
@@ -2,7 +2,7 @@ use std::{error, fmt};
 
 use crate::header::record::value::map::header::Version;
 
-pub(super) fn parse_version(src: &[u8]) -> Result<Version, ParseError> {
+pub(crate) fn parse_version(src: &[u8]) -> Result<Version, ParseError> {
     const DELIMITER: u8 = b'.';
 
     fn split_once(buf: &[u8], delimiter: u8) -> Option<(&[u8], &[u8])> {