Is it a normal phenomenon if white surfaces produce some kind of glowing effect when its under direct sunlight? I noticed this in photographs which I took recently.

Colour setting : Vivid

maybe the white surfaces reflect the light alot. try adjusting the metering mode

Any sample picture of what you're referring to ?

its overexposed. digital cameras has limited dynamic range (the steps from black to white), depend on camera design, some rescue the dark area (shadow) more than the bright (highlight).

In your case, the camera had 'ignore' or cant capture the bright area, thus exposing higher for the shadow, and let the bright area burnt, the bright area details was lost, and you got no way to rescue this back