Nguyễn Văn Cử was born around 1934 in Vietnam and became a lieutenant in the Republic of Vietnam Air Force. He was the son of Nguyễn Văn Lực, a political figure and member of the Việt Nam Quốc Dân Đảng (VNQDD), a nationalist party that opposed the regime of South Vietnamese President Ngô Đình Diệm. Due to his father's political activities, Cử faced professional stagnation in the military and was briefly jailed by Diệm for "antigovernment activities." Despite being trained in the United States, Cử had not received a promotion in six years.

Disillusioned with Diệm's leadership, Cử believed that the president prioritized consolidating power over effectively combating the communist insurgency. He also blamed American support for Diệm as a factor undermining Vietnam’s war effort. These political grievances drove Cử to conspire against Diệm.

In early 1962, Cử recruited fellow pilot Phạm Phú Quốc for a plan to bomb the South Vietnamese presidential palace. He convinced Quốc by suggesting that their actions had silent support from the military and the United States, even pointing to critical Western media coverage of Diệm.

On 27 February 1962, Nguyễn Văn Cử and Phạm Phú Quốc diverted from a scheduled combat mission into the Mekong Delta and instead flew toward central Saigon. Each piloted a U.S.-supplied AD-6 Skyraider, a World War II-era attack aircraft. Their target was the Independence Palace, residence and office of President Ngô Đình Diệm.

Flying low under cloudy skies, they conducted multiple attack runs on the palace using bombs, napalm, rockets, and machine gun fire. The assault caused extensive structural damage to the French colonial-era building and set it ablaze. Though the bombing was intense, the pilots did not use their entire payload. The attack lasted under an hour and killed three palace staff while injuring 30 others. President Diệm and his family escaped unharmed.

During the operation, Quốc's aircraft was hit by anti-aircraft fire; he ejected and was captured after landing in Nhà Bè. Cử managed to escape to Cambodia. Believing the attack had been successful, he held a press conference in Phnom Penh, condemning the Diệm regime and presenting himself as the voice of military dissent.

Initially detained by Cambodian authorities, Cử was later released and remained in exile, working as a language teacher. After Diệm was overthrown and assassinated in November 1963, Cử returned to South Vietnam and rejoined the air force.

Following the communist victory in April 1975, Cử was arrested and held in a re-education camp for ten years, released in 1985. He immigrated to the United States in 1991. His current status is not publicly documented.