Independence Palace Bombing

Date: February 27, 1962 • Location: Ho Chi Minh City, Viet Nam

Two dissident Republic of Vietnam Air Force pilots bombed the Independence Palace in Saigon in a failed attempt to assassinate President Ngo Dinh Diem.

The South Vietnam Air Force or the Republic of Vietnam Air Force, was the aerial branch of the Republic of Vietnam Military Forces, the official military of the Republic of Vietnam from 1955 to 1975. The VNAF began with a few hand-picked men chosen to fly alongside French pilots during the State of Vietnam era (1951–1955). Initially operating throughout Vietnam, after 1954 it was limited to defensive functions south of the 17th parallel.