Despite the growing potential of multimedia tools in assisting different aspects of English learning, limited research explores students’ self-directed pronunciation learning using multimedia, especially in under-resourced contexts such as Vietnam. Addressing this gap, his study investigates university students’ use of multimedia tools for English pronunciation learning within a self-directed framework. The study finds that although students frequently engaged with multimedia for general English language acquisition, pronunciation was not the primary focus. However, over half preferred multimedia tools over traditional resources, highlighting convenience, multi-sensory engagement, and accessibility—especially via smartphones. Platforms like YouTube, Facebook, and TikTok were most popular, while dedicated apps like ELSA Speak remained underutilized, primarily due to cost. While most participants found multimedia engaging and motivational, many reported limited awareness of how to effectively leverage these tools for systematic pronunciation improvement. Challenges included difficulty identifying appropriate resources, limited teacher guidance, and financial constraints. Despite moderate confidence levels, students expressed a strong preference for autonomous learning supplemented by clearer instructional support. Findings underscore the need for pedagogical scaffolding to bridge informal multimedia usage with targeted pronunciation learning outcomes in digital contexts.