The Philippines' weather bureau warned of life-threatening storm surges of up to five metres and destructive winds as Typhoon Fung-wong churns towards the country's eastern coast, where it is forecast to intensify into a super typhoon before making landfall on Sunday night.

The typhoon's massive circulation, spanning 1,500 kilometres, is already lashing parts of eastern Philippines with heavy rains and winds, weather forecaster Benison Estareja said in a briefing by the national meterological observatory Pagasa.

"It can cover almost the entire country," Estareja said.

Fung-wong, locally named Uwan, is currently packing maximum sustained winds of 140 kmh and gusts of up to 170 kmh, and could intensify to 185 kmh as it nears land, Estareja said, powerful enough to destroy homes, topple trees and structures.

Up to 200 millimetres of rainfall is expected in eastern Philippine provinces, particularly in the Bicol region, as well as parts of Samar, raising the risk of widespread flooding and landslides, while northern and central Luzon could see 100-200 mm rainfall during its passage.

Pagasa urged residents in low-lying and coastal areas to evacuate to higher ground and halt all marine activities, warning of destructive storm surges that could inundate coastal communities, and warned of violent winds.

Several local governments have suspended classes for Monday, and the Philippines' flag carrier has cancelled some flights, ahead of Fung-wong's expected landfall.

The warning comes just days after Typhoon Kalmaegi left a trail of destruction across the region, ripping through coastal communities, toppling trees, and shredding roofs and windows.

Kalmaegi killed 204 people in the Philippines and five in Vietnam, displaced hundreds of thousands, and knocked out power across wide areas.

Vietnam's disaster agency reported damage to nearly 2,800 homes, and said about 500,000 people remain without electricity. In the Philippines, raging floods destroyed homes and clogged streets with debris.

In Thailand, Kalmaegi's lingering impact caused heavy rain and localised flooding in parts of the northeast and central regions. (Reuters)