Rural communities throughout the Asia-Pacific are generally more exposed to climate-driven changes to their livelihoods than those in larger/urban communities. We developed and piloted a community resilience tool to be used to support climate change adaptation within existing development planning pathways. Our framework included 39 key questions based around the outcomes related to (i) livelihoods and environment, (ii) infrastructure, (iii) community, and (iv) climate change and disaster management. In rural Lvea Krang (Cambodia) community outcomes were most concerning, limited by ineffective collaboration, and plan implementation funding. In peri-urban Chamkar Samrong, all outcomes except climate and disaster management were of concern, with plan implementation funding and information the most limiting factors. In peri-urban Thuy Thah Commune (Vietnam), climate and disaster management were most concerning, with plan implementation funding the most significant contributor. In rural Vinh Hai commune, livelihood and environment outcomes were of most concern but again, plan implementation funding and information contributed to poorer outcomes. Building resilience requires context-based consideration of desired outcomes and factors that affect them. Our assessment tool provides a simple and cost-efficient means for monitoring the long-term effectiveness of un-co-ordinated aid donor projects in supporting community-based adaptation to climate change.