Hóa đơn tiền nước ở trên bàn.

A natural breakdown is:

• hóa đơn = bill, invoice
• tiền nước = water charges / water bill payment
• ở = at, in, on; a location marker/locative verb
• trên bàn = on the table

So hóa đơn tiền nước is one noun phrase: the water bill.
Then ở trên bàn tells you where it is: is on the table.

Structure:

• [Noun phrase] + [location phrase]
• Hóa đơn tiền nước + ở trên bàn

This is a very common Vietnamese sentence pattern.

Vietnamese usually puts the main noun first and then adds words that specify it.

So:

• hóa đơn = the main thing, the bill
• tiền nước = tells you what kind of bill it is

That is why hóa đơn tiền nước literally looks like bill water-money, but naturally means water bill.

This head-first pattern is very common in Vietnamese:

• tiền điện = electricity money / electricity bill
• hóa đơn tiền điện = electricity bill
• nhà bếp = kitchen
• xe đạp = bicycle

English often puts the modifier first; Vietnamese often puts it after the main noun.

Yes, literally it does.

• tiền = money
• nước = water

But in everyday Vietnamese, tiền nước means water charges, water fee, or water bill payment.

So in hóa đơn tiền nước, the idea is the bill for the water charges.

This kind of expression is very normal in Vietnamese:

• tiền điện = electricity bill/cost
• tiền nhà = rent / housing payment
• tiền học = tuition / school fees

So even if the literal wording sounds unusual in English, it is completely natural in Vietnamese.

In this sentence, ở marks location, and in English it is often translated as is at/in/on.

So:

• Hóa đơn tiền nước ở trên bàn = The water bill is on the table

But ở is not exactly the same as English is in all situations. It specifically relates to location.

A very important point for learners:

• You do not use là here.
• Là is not the normal word for location sentences.

So:

• ✅ Hóa đơn tiền nước ở trên bàn
• ❌ Hóa đơn tiền nước là trên bàn

For location, ở is the natural choice.

They do different jobs:

• ở marks the phrase as a location
• trên specifies the spatial relation: on / above
• bàn = table

So:

• ở bàn would mean something like at the table
• trên bàn means on the table
• ở trên bàn clearly means located on the table

In many contexts, Vietnamese speakers may say just trên bàn after a noun, but ở trên bàn is very clear and natural in a full sentence.

Also, for learners, it helps to think of:

• ở đâu? = where?
• ở trên bàn = on the table

Sometimes you may hear similar shortened expressions, but ở makes the sentence clearly complete and unambiguous.

With ở:

• Hóa đơn tiền nước ở trên bàn = The water bill is on the table

Without ở, hóa đơn tiền nước trên bàn can sound more like a noun phrase, such as:

• the water bill on the table

rather than a full statement.

So for a learner, the safest and clearest full sentence is:

• Hóa đơn tiền nước ở trên bàn

Vietnamese does not use articles like English a, an, and the in the same obligatory way.

So hóa đơn tiền nước can mean:

• the water bill
• a water bill

Which one is intended depends on context.

In this sentence, English will often translate it as the water bill is on the table, because in normal context both speaker and listener usually know which bill is being talked about.

This is very common in Vietnamese. Definiteness is often understood from the situation rather than marked with a separate word.

Because classifiers are not always required.

Vietnamese often uses classifiers when there is:

• a number
• a demonstrative
• special emphasis on the object

For example:

• một cái hóa đơn = one bill
• cái hóa đơn đó = that bill

But in a plain statement, a bare noun phrase is often perfectly natural:

• Hóa đơn tiền nước ở trên bàn

You could sometimes hear Cái hóa đơn tiền nước ở trên bàn, especially if someone is pointing it out or emphasizing it, but it is not necessary.

Yes, there can be variation depending on context and speaking style.

For example, people may also talk about:

• tiền nước = the water bill / water charges
• hóa đơn nước = water invoice/bill in some contexts
• hóa đơn tiền nước = the bill for the water charges

In everyday conversation, tiền nước is very common when people simply mean the amount owed for water service.
Hóa đơn tiền nước is a bit more explicit because it refers to the actual bill/document.

So if you are talking about the paper bill lying somewhere, hóa đơn tiền nước is very natural.

Yes, it is a complete sentence.

Vietnamese does not always need a separate equivalent of English to be. In location sentences, ở does the necessary job.

So this is a full sentence:

• Hóa đơn tiền nước ở trên bàn.

It has:

• a subject/topic: hóa đơn tiền nước
• a location predicate: ở trên bàn

That is enough to make a complete statement.

Both can relate to on the table, but they are used slightly differently.

• trên bàn = on the table
• ở trên bàn = located on the table

In many sentences, ở makes the predication more explicit and sentence-like.

Compare:

• quyển sách trên bàn = the book on the table
  (this can sound like a noun phrase)
• quyển sách ở trên bàn = the book is on the table
  (clearly a statement about location)

So in your sentence, ở trên bàn is a very helpful, natural way to express location clearly.