At around 07:00, the deer on the expansive lawns of the French colonial-era palace were frightened off as Quốc and Cử's planes flew low over their target to inspect the ruling family's residence. On their second run, they attacked with bombs and napalm before strafing the presidential compound with rocket and machine-gun fire. The duo continued their runs for 30 minutes before units loyal to the president arrived and fought back. Taking advantage of poor weather and low cloud cover, the two pilots circled the palace at altitudes of around , periodically diving out of the clouds to re-attack before darting back into them. The airstrike caught the Presidential Guard by surprise and, in the confusion, they were unable to determine whether the aircraft were acting alone or with ground forces. Loyalist tanks and armoured personnel carriers rushed to their battle stations and anti-aircraft batteries opened fire, nearly hitting the loyalist aircraft from Bien Hoa Air Base in pursuit of the two rebel planes. Two tanks and a number of jeeps armed with .50-calibre machine guns patrolled the smoke-filled streets as a precaution.